New Beginning
by Bulletproof Picasso
Summary: Ada has always been different. She is the adopted daughter of Tony Stark, and gifted with unusual powers. What makes her stand apart though is where she is actually from. This is her story, from beginning to end. Follows through all of the movies, including Guardians of the Galaxy. Rated T for safety. Eventual Steve/OC pairing.
1. Part One, Chapter One

**AN: So, before I even start, I just wanted to warn readers that this is a rewrite. I am planning on rewriting and deleting some chapters (including, sadly, Amazing Spiderman... I might give Spiderman a cameo appearance, I'm not sure, yet), but, I really wanted to rewrite this since I've already started halfway into my Frozen Fire story. There are quite a lot of changes, such as the fact that this is now in third person point of view rather than first. Another is that I've added quite a lot of detail (hopefully), and have changed the way things worked out compared to the original, after all the recent movies came out.**

 **I've changed my mind about not including the Winter Soldier after debating over whether or not it's worth including. After watching Infinity Wars Part 1, I've decided that's probably where I will stop... depending on how the movie series goes.**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Strategic Homeland Intermission End Logistics Division was no stranger when it came to receiving numerous reports throughout the week. Some of them were mostly nonsense reports of crop circles showing up on farmlands. Others were more severe threats that were taken care of by their top agents.

The strangest case they had received, though, was in regards of an energy reading they had picked up in Albany, California. The report consisted of an eerie light appearing in the middle of nowhere, and disappearing seconds later. Bystanders who were able to witness the phenomenon had scoured the area minutes later, only to find something that much stranger in the middle of an empty field. One of the bystanders had described it as a baby wrapped in warm blankets.

Phil Coulson let out a sigh of frustration as he leaned against the back of his chair and studied the files in front of him. The baby had since then been apprehended and taken into a secure facility. She appeared to only be a few days old, at best. Babies didn't just normally appear randomly after a light glowing in the distance. Something was off about this baby girl. He was determined to figure out what that something was, especially when they found the golden necklace hidden within the folds of the blankets.

"Did you find anything about her?"

He looked up at the sound of a woman's voice. Maria Hill, a fellow agent, had been looking into the case herself. After all, it wasn't every day something like this happened. When they managed to apprehend the baby in question, everyone had been curious about her sudden arrival. Noting that the baby was alone at the time left everyone wondering where she came from. He had been doing his own research on who her family was since she was taken in.

"Nothing," he answered, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Whoever her family is, there's nothing in the database. It's as if she doesn't even exist."

That was enough to catch Maria's attention. She leaned forward, studying the data Phil had looked up so far. The more he looked into it, the more confusing the whole thing got. It really was as if she had appeared out of nowhere. Scientists would have had a field day with her if they found out about her. He had been the first to argue that running tests on an infant was the last thing she needed. If what he thought about her was true, then it was better they wait to run studies on her.

"Look, Director Fury suggested the best thing we can do for this baby is send her to an orphanage, and we would keep an eye on her from a distance," Maria sighed with a shake of her head, "A family might be willing to take her in."

Doubt clouded his thoughts as Phil looked over the data once more. He knew she was right. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't take in every stray they found on the streets, let alone a baby. There were too many security risks to involve raising a baby. Besides, he was busy enough as it was without having to worry about taking care of a baby. She was better off living in a home where she would be raised as a normal child. Given the circumstances of how she ended up in this world, she needed that kind of life now more than ever.

"Alright," he reluctantly nodded in agreement, rubbing his face at the thought of leaving the baby in the hands of strangers. "I'll take her."

Maria placed a hand on his shoulder, knowing this was anything but easy for him. He'd already grown fond of the baby, and leaving her at an orphanage would be a challenge in itself. He hoped they were doing the right thing by dropping her off. Otherwise, he would have to live with that regret for the rest of his life.

…

Dark storm clouds swirled around the night sky as lightning streaked across them, giving off an eerie illumination. The caretaker of the orphanage in Malibu, California, had not been expecting any visits late at night. After hearing a series of knocks on the door, she finally went down the stairs to see who would have arrived so late. It wasn't entirely surprising when people left the babies or children at the doorstep of the orphanage. As sad as it was, it seemed to happen more frequently than she would have liked.

These children didn't ask to be dropped off as if they were nothing. They all deserved a second chance, and a home that wanted them. That was part of the reason she worked at the orphanage. Being able to care for the youngsters meant more than she would ever admit out loud.

What _did_ surprise her, however, was when she opened the door to find a basket sitting in front of it. The woman looked around warily, eyes scanning the area for any signs of whoever might have dropped the baby off. She shook her head in disappointment after realizing this baby had likely been abandoned.

She bent down, carefully picking the basket up and taking the baby inside before the wind and rain made it too cold. While the baby herself was wrapped in warm blankets, she didn't want to take any chances. Once inside, the woman was able to get a good look at the newborn.

The baby was small, even for a newborn. The top of her head was covered in downy black hair. Blue eyes stared back at her curiously. The woman couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she found herself growing attached to the baby already. There was something oddly charming about the way those eyes seemed to drawl her in.

"Ada," she whispered out the name, blinking in surprise as it came so suddenly.

She didn't know where, or how the name had played across the back of her mind. But, the baby seemed to coo at the word, and it fit her nicely.

Once she had finished settling Ada into a warm crib, and she changed the baby into a onesie outfit, the woman noticed something sticking out in the basket. She peered into it, taking hold of an envelope with words written on the back.

' _Please do not open until your sixteenth birthday_ ', it read.

The woman couldn't help but smile warmly at Ada, who was now fast asleep. She had a feeling that Ada was going to have a special destiny. One that even she had no part in.

…

Ada studied her reflection carefully, making sure that everything was in check. She always got up before everyone else. Not only was it a force of habit, but Ada had quickly learned that the early bird caught the worm. She used that terminology to her best interest, often getting first dibs on breakfast, and just about everything else. Most of the other kids who lived in the orphanage had quickly grown jealous over the fact that she managed to get everything she needed without too much argument. They tried arguing with the staff, but the staff would always remind them that if they wanted first dibs on whatever was offered, they needed to be faster.

Staring back at her was a young girl with long, raven-black hair and brown eyes. Said young girl was short, with few freckles covering her face, and a look that said she wanted out of this place. With today marking her sixth birthday, Ada knew the odds of getting adopted were getting slim. Few people wanted to adopt an older kid. She had quickly learned while staying at the orphanage that adults preferred adopting kids who were younger and kids who listened to adults.

She let out a sigh and tied her hair into a ponytail, remembering some of the pranks that other kids pulled on their birthdays. Quite a few of the kids here had quickly learned not to pull pranks on her, the hard way. She often earned 'time-outs' as punishment for beating up a kid for being rude to her, or anyone she was close to. It wasn't as if she meant to hurt anyone – it usually just happened without warning. Self-defense was the one thing that she taught herself while at the orphanage.

Though, it was also part of the reason she had so few friends. The housekeeper, Heather, was one of the few adults that she ever talked to when she felt the need to. Her other friend happened to be Maggie, a young girl with light blond hair and brown eyes who also happened to be her roommate They'd been in the orphanage for as long as they could remember, and their friendship was based solely on the fact that Maggie enjoyed her company.

"Ada, come on!" She winced at the sound of Maggie's voice. Ada turned to see the little girl hopping at the doorway, practically bouncing with excitement. "Today's the day!"

She added the last part with a clasp of her hands, rubbing them together as if this was the greatest day ever.

"For you to calm down and stop acting like someone on a sugar high?" Ada asked, tilting her head in amusement when Maggie's face fell.

Everyone always said that she acted as if she was older than she looked. Ada had never taken it seriously. She supposed that was why she didn't get along very well with most of the kids, here. Maggie was the exception to that rule. She tolerated Maggie more than anything else. They were forced to share a room together, and Ada had to learn how to enjoy the girl's company since they spent the most time together. The good news was that Maggie didn't treat her like the other children did.

"Come on, Ada! Emily said that more people are coming in to interview us for adoption," Maggie told her. "Maybe one of us will get adopted… or, we could both be adopted together and become sisters!"

Ada almost laughed at Maggie's enthusiasm. She had to admit, it was contagious. Despite Maggie's enthusiasm though, Ada couldn't help but think back to all the other failed interviews. Every adult that went through those doors looked at her as if she was some kind of freak. She'd been able to answer each question easily, and she had scared a few of them with her intelligence. Ada couldn't necessarily blame them for being afraid. She'd quickly learned that people were afraid of the things that they didn't understand.

She let out a sigh and followed Maggie down the stairs once she was finished getting ready. All the children at the orphanage had to make themselves look presentable in the morning. Ada knew that this rule went along with the lines of getting adopted. The more presentable they looked, the higher chances they had of winning someone over.

Maggie kept humming to herself as they walked down the stairs. With the building being three stories high, exercise wasn't an issue. Girls were placed on one floor, and boys on the other. The bottom floor was used primarily for essentials, such as the kitchen, rooms for interviews, and entertainment rooms where the kids could keep themselves busy. The caretakers usually filled the room with things that were donated to the orphanage with hand-me-downs. Because of that, most of the material in the entertainment rooms were run-down and looked as if they'd seen better days.

Once they reached the bottom floor, Maggie led the way into the kitchen. Ada frowned when she noticed how empty the kitchen was. Usually at this hour, Emily, another caretaker of the orphanage, was up and making breakfast. She realized with a start that it was probably too early for that. Most of the children slept in until around seven. Ada had always been an early riser, and while Maggie would complain about it most of the time, she did try to keep herself quiet during those early morning hours.

"So, I've been planning on keeping this a secret, since most of the kids usually use this day for pranks and all of that fun stuff," Maggie rambled on as she reached the refrigerator. Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise. Kids weren't usually allowed in the refrigerator unless they had permission from one of the caretakers. With food in such low supply, everyone was limited to what they could eat, "I wanted to make this day especially special."

When she turned around, Ada's jaw dropped in disbelief. Maggie was holding two cupcakes in her hands. One for her, and one for Ada. Both were covered in rainbow frosting and sprinkles, with a tiny 'Happy Birthday' plastic band placed on top. She felt her heart swell with joy at the sight. Not too many others in the orphanage went out of their way to do something so kind. Maggie was one of the few kids at the orphanage who went out of her way to make sure that everyone was happy, especially those she was good friends with.

"Maggie… how did you—"

"Miss Emily helped me make them," Maggie explained with a sheepish grin, "When I told her what they were being made for, she said that she would help me out. We made enough for everyone to have one, but, I especially wanted to make sure that we got our share this morning."

"Maggie, you're the best friend I could ever ask for," Ada exclaimed, giving her a huge bear hug after Maggie set the cupcakes on the counter.

Maggie returned the gesture, laughing at the prospect that they were friends. It was difficult enough trying to bake something at the orphanage. Because food was in such short supply, the staff usually used whatever was donated to the orphanage. Ada had no doubt that Emily had been the one to agree with Maggie's idea.

"Well, are we gonna eat them, or not?" Maggie asked cheekily.

Neither needed to be told twice as they dug into their cupcakes. Ada relished the sweet flavors, ignoring the frosting that now covered her lips. She'd carefully pulled off the plastic bit, eyeing the sparkling lettering curiously as she wondered at the fact that Maggie went out of her way for just this occasion. Breakfast normally consisted of cereal, oatmeal and cheaply made meals, so, the cupcakes were a nice treat for both of them.

"Ada, there's someone here to see you!"

Her eyes widened at the sound of Emily's voice. Ada exchanged a look with Maggie before putting the wrapper in the trash and cleaning up the frosting on her lips. Emily had warned her the other day that someone was planning on stopping by to visit her. She knew it was probably just the usual tirade of visitors, so, she didn't think much of it when Maggie wished her good luck.

She took a deep breath as she wandered down the hall and to the door on her right. She sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that this would go well. As much as she loved Emily, Heather and Maggie, she wanted to get out of this place. More than anything, Ada wanted a family.

Ada opened the door hesitantly, unsure of what to do or say when she finally opened it fully and saw _who_ was sitting on the chair across the room. She recognized the man immediately from all the stories about him on the news. She let out a rush of air, feeling her heart nearly skip a beat when said man looked at her curiously. He was the one person she expected to see the least. Seeing him left her wondering what the heck led him to coming to the orphanage in the first place.

"So, you're the kid they've been talking about so much?" he deadpanned after a few seconds of awkward silence followed.

"Uh… who's been talking about me, sir?" she asked, wincing at the nervousness of her own voice.

"You know, for a six-year-old, you sound more like an adult," he nearly snorted in amusement as he gestured for her to take a seat. Reluctantly, Ada did just that, "Look, I'll be honest with you, even _I_ don't know who sent me the papers regarding your existence. All they wanted was someone 'responsible' to adopt you."

He added the last part with quotations, and Ada rolled her eyes at that. She highly doubted he of all people would be deemed responsible as far as raising a child would go. She could already imagine the hundreds of questions people would ask in regards of her getting adopted by none other than Tony Stark. Most children would have been excited with the prospect. After all, he had a lot of money to his name, and he was a genius in his own right. Yet, Ada frowned when she looked at him warily.

"Why do I get the feeling that this was forced?" she retorted, earning a look from Mr. Stark.

"Most likely because it was," he shrugged as if it didn't matter. "So, what's your story?"

For a moment, Ada didn't know how to answer. She found herself fumbling as she recalled the story Heather used to tell her. The only thing she did know was that her mother had left her at the orphanage doorstep with nothing more than a name.

"I never knew my mother, or my father," she admitted warily, "Guess they wanted nothing to do with their kid, so they thought dropping her off at the orphanage was the next best choice."

Mr. Stark actually frowned at that, and he leaned forward, clasping his hands together.

"So, your parents decided to drop you off because they didn't want you," he guessed, and at her nod, he shook his head. "I was told by the caretaker that you don't have many friends."

"Most of them are afraid of me," she muttered, dropping her gaze as she thought of the many instances where she got into fights with them, "They like pulling pranks on other kids, and they learned the hard way that I'm not an easy target."

"It might also have something to do with your attitude, kid." Ada looked at Mr. Stark in surprise, but then she realized that he was smirking now. "What about your other interviews? What do most of those people think when they see you?"

"Like I said, they're usually afraid of me," she shrugged. "I think I scare them away because I tend to act and talk more like an adult than my actual age."

Mr. Stark gave a slight nod, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. This was actually the longest Ada had lasted in an interview. Most of the other times, the adults who tried talking to her were too exasperated to go on. They'd just given up and refused to go any further than that. She had gotten used to the interviews ending on a sour note. By now, she'd learned that they would never likely accept someone who would mouth back at them. They wanted an obedient child who wasn't going to act out like she sometimes did.

"So… what are you thinking?" she asked warily when she noticed he was quiet, again.

"I'm thinking… that you're going home with me," he replied.

Ada just stared at Mr. Stark as if he'd grown wings. She knew Mr. Stark was infamous for throwing wild parties, and for being a party-animal in general. Raising a kid was something she didn't think he would have planned for anytime soon. Yet, here he was, staring her down as if that was exactly what he had in mind.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, you're coming home with me," he repeated himself, this time more clearly. Ada clamped her mouth shut, looking at Mr. Stark for the longest time as he stood up. "Pack your bags, I'll be waiting in the living room."

It only took Ada a few seconds to register that he really meant what he said. She finally collected her thoughts, shaking her head as she followed him out of the room.

By now, most of the kids were already awake as the day drew on. Ada looked around anxiously, until she spotted Maggie standing there, waiting by the staircase. The little girl's eyes widened when she saw Mr. Stark for the first time. Neither said a thing as they ran up the stairs together. Once Ada had grabbed her suitcase and started packing what little clothes she had, Maggie seemed to understand what was going on.

"Ada, take care of yourself," she whispered after pulling her into a warm embrace. Ada couldn't help but return the gesture, feeling a lump form in her throat at the thought of leaving Maggie behind. "I'm glad someone finally adopted you."

"I hope the same could be said about you, Maggie," Ada whispered back, "You of all people deserve a family."

Tears brimmed the edge of Maggie's eyes when they pulled apart. Ada really did hope Maggie would find a home, and a family to take her in. The little girl had so much to offer; probably more than she ever would.

Once she had finished packing, and headed down the stairs, she spotted Mr. Stark still waiting for her. Ada blinked in surprise when she saw Emily waiting there, as well, with an envelope in hand. Emily offered a warm smile as she reached Ada, handing her the envelope in the process.

"Heather wanted to make sure this was given to you, when you were adopted," the older woman explained.

Ada eyed the envelope curiously, wondering just what could be inside. She tried shaking it, and heard something bouncing within. That only fueled her curiosity. When she moved to open it, she noticed there was a note on the back.

' _Ada, please do not open this until your sixteenth birthday,_ – _C_.'

 _Who is C_? Ada wondered, frowning at the thought. She held back a sigh of frustration after sticking it in her suitcase. She was never the patient type; something told her that waiting would be more challenging than she would have liked.

"Tell Heather I said goodbye, and give her a hug for me," Ada said once she was finished getting ready to leave.

"I will," Emily reassured her with a warm smile, "You be good for your new family."

With those parting words, and a wave goodbye, Ada followed Mr. Stark outside into the sports car he'd driven, leaving the orphanage behind her. This was going to be the start of a new life. Little did Ada know just how exciting this new life would be.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

When Tony Stark claimed that he wanted to adopt her, Ada thought he must be joking. It wasn't until clinging to the backseat of the car for dear life that she realized he was being serious. She didn't bother checking to see just how fast he was driving. He must have broken about a dozen speed limits and laws within less than an hour. She tried not to look out the windows after watching several trees, cars and other scenes blur past. She sent a silent prayer that they would reach their destination without any broken limbs in the process. She wasn't sure how he managed to evade the cops for so long, especially given that they were on a busy highway.

Finally, the car came to a screeching halt. Ada let out a rush of air she hadn't noticed she was holding. Her trembling fingers finally released their grip on the seat. If it wasn't for the fact that she had been wearing a seat belt, Ada was certain she would have gone flying through the windshield after the car stopped so suddenly. As it was, she struggled to sit up and shuddered at the sudden wave of nausea that followed.

"We're here!" His cheerful announcement didn't go by unnoticed as Ada groggily peered out the window, trying to recover from her initial shock.

"Where exactly is 'here'?" she asked, hoping she could hold in the contents of breakfast before they got inside.

She hadn't realized until that moment how much her stomach was churning from the drive. She wanted nothing more than to climb out of the car and forget that traumatic ride. Though, judging from the look Mr. Stark was giving her as he glanced at the vehicle, he wasn't a stranger to those kind of reactions. He had more than likely driven the car multiple times with other passengers to worry about. That or he had been bracing himself for whatever reaction she would have for his terrible driving skills.

Mr. Stark reached her door and opened up, raising an eyebrow in amusement when he caught the state she was in. She tried to shake it off, knowing that looking as if she was going to throw up wouldn't help matters. She'd never gotten car sick before. Then again, she'd never needed to ride in a car before. She peered around him to get a better view of where they were at. What she saw made her jaw drop once again.

A mansion. A huge, elegant looking mansion standing over the cliff of the ocean, stood in front of her. Mr. Stark's smirk told her that he'd been anticipating her reaction. She couldn't help but try and take everything in at once. The large windows that overlooked the ocean, the beach, and everything else just added to the effect.

She knew he had money. She'd almost forgotten that notion. The idea that someone who had as much money as he did would adopt someone like her just left her mind reeling with confusion. Her world suddenly felt as if it had changed dramatically once he decided that he was bringing her home with him. She'd never been anywhere near the beach, and now, she could visit it every day, if Mr. Stark allowed her. She wasn't sure what to make of it as she tried taking everything in at once.

"I know it's a lot to process, but, welcome home," he gestured to the mansion itself.

Ada clamped her mouth shut, wondering what had led to him deciding that she was 'adoption' quality. After all, she was nothing more than the trouble-making kid who got into fights with the others. Ada tried casting the doubt aside, feeling more than overwhelmed as she followed him silently towards the doors.

Luckily, the awkward silence didn't last much longer when they reached the doors that seemed to open automatically. Ada's heart felt as if it was pounding when she saw the inside of the massive building. It was just as elegant looking on the inside as it had been from the outside.

A large entryway marked the entrance, with stairs on the left side, and a doorway leading to what looked like an eat-in kitchen. To her right looked like a large living space with an open bar, and in front of her was another living space with a grand piano, television and just about everything Ada could imagine.

What really took Ada by surprise, though, was the 'Welcome Home' banner that loomed above her. Ada felt her heart nearly skip a beat at the sight. She couldn't fight back the tears that started to form when she realized that Mr. Stark had really gone out of his way to make her feel welcome.

Sitting in the living room were three other people. Ada eyed the trio warily. One was a woman with strawberry blond hair, smiling warmly at her as she rose to her feet. The other was a taller, muscular looking African American man. Lastly was a stout looking man with dark brown hair, grinning from ear-to-ear as he eyed her for the first time.

"Hi, you must be Ada," the woman greeted her warmly as she reached them, "I hope Tony hasn't been too rough on you," she added the last part in an accusing tone when she noticed just how overwhelmed Ada looked.

"His driving was more than questionable," Ada murmured under her breath.

Mr. Stark just frowned as the two men laughed in agreement to her accusation. They seemed friendly enough when she and Mr. Stark reached them. She wasn't expecting a welcoming committee upon arriving at the mansion, especially given the circumstances of their unusual situation.

"I like her already," the African American man chuckled with a shake of his head. She couldn't help but smile at that.

"Well, you've already met Miss Pepper Potts, Colonel Rhodes, or Rhodey, and Happy. You'll be seeing them a lot here," Mr. Stark explained, introducing each of them. "Alright, why don't I show you to your room, that way you can get situated?"

Ada gave a nod of agreement before looking at the three people warily. Once again, she wondered how she was lucky enough to end up at a place like this. She knew that Mr. Stark wouldn't have adopted her unless someone convinced him to. She had seen enough interview processes to know that she wasn't necessarily the type of child people wanted to adopt.

"What made _you_ of all people decide to adopt _me_ , of all people?" she asked once they were far enough away.

"Let's just say I heard from a friend that you needed a home," he replied without hesitation. Ada just blinked at that, unsure of how to answer as he went down another hall, "So, what do you do for fun?"

His question caught Ada off guard. She had to think for a moment when they stopped by a door, which she guessed was her new room.

"I've always been interested in science and technology," she explained with a shrug, looking down at the floor sheepishly, "Emily always said that's the reason so many people were turned away during interviews."

Mr. Stark frowned once more at her explanation. Ada knew for a fact that that was one of the many reasons she had turned away so many adults. Between that and not knowing where she came from hadn't helped matters. Her mysterious appearance at the orphanage was one of the many reasons the caretakers never went into full details over her history. She had a feeling that if anyone figured out her history, it wouldn't end well.

"Well, today's your lucky day," he told her after a moment's pause, "I happen to have a lab in the basement, where all the magic happens. I could teach you everything I know."

She just stared at Mr. Stark in disbelief, unsure of what to say. There were so many times when she would want nothing more than to learn how to build something, or, to learn more in general. Now, Tony Stark was actually giving her an opportunity she knew she couldn't refuse.

"That-That would be great," she stammered, still finding it hard to believe any of this was really happening.

This all felt like a dream come true. Between getting adopted by Tony Stark, being welcomed into his family, and everything else, it was all so overwhelming. Ada kept wondering if she would wake up back in the orphanage, and find out that it had been nothing more than a dream. After all, he wasn't necessarily the type of person she expected to adopt someone. When he mentioned that someone had put him up to the idea, she suspected this was nothing more than a ploy for the media. Everyone made him out as a playboy, genius and a billionaire with an ego to match the size of his mansion.

"Good. Get yourself unpacked and situated; you can come down for dinner once you're ready," he told her once that was said and done.

She gave another nod as Mr. Stark turned to leave. Ada braced herself for whatever room awaited her. Once again, Ada found herself gaping at what she saw before her.

It looked more like an elegant hotel room, than that of a normal bedroom. A double-sized bed lay in the center of the room, against the back wall. Three huge paneled windows overlooked the ocean. To the front of the room was a long bookcase, with a television in the center of it. As Ada walked across the room, she noticed a large walk-in closet where she could keep what little clothing she had inside. Beyond the closet was a bathroom, with everything included.

Ada couldn't help but throw herself onto the bed the minute she could. The mattress itself was twice as comfortable as what she was used to. Several pillows lined the bed, and Ada buried her face into the pillows as she enjoyed the softness for as long as she could.

For the first time in her life, Ada finally found something she could consider a real home. Somehow, she knew this wasn't just a dream. This was very real, and for once, she had no qualm about leaving the orphanage.

…

"The girl is in his custody, sir."

Phil Coulson stood in front of Director Nick Fury as they overlooked the status of the little girl they had brought to the orphanage six years ago. They had been watching her progress over that time. When they realized that she wouldn't likely leave the orphanage due to her intelligence, a decision had been made to contact Tony Stark. While the choice hadn't necessarily been one of Coulson's favorite choices, he knew Stark was the best option they had, for the time being.

"Good; let's hope he doesn't mess this one up," Fury sighed with a shake of his head.

Stark had put up one hell of an argument when he was contacted by Strategic Homeland Intermission End Logistics Division. Unsurprisingly, it was Coulson who had contacted him. He'd been adamant about it, reminding Stark that this would be good for him.

The problem was, Stark's irresponsibility had left everyone worried about the way Ada would be raised. She was already difficult with adults, and, Stark's attitude rubbing off on her could make things ugly, fast. Everyone would need to stay on edge, especially as she got older.

"We'll be keeping an eye on her, and make an assessment every birthday," Coulson reassured him. He'd grown fond of the little girl, after all. After taking care of her when she was in their custody, it had been difficult to give her up in the first place, "If she shows any signs of changing, we'll be the first to know."

"Good. You're dismissed, until then," Fury ordered.

Once that was said and done, Coulson gave a nod before leaving the office. This was one mission they couldn't afford to mess up. Wherever Ada came from, and whoever she was, she was everyone's responsibility, now.

…

It was late at night when Ada finished her first meal in her new home. With Colonel Rhodes leaving for an early morning routine with his line of work, Mr. Stark and Pepper were busy talking while Happy asked a barrage of questions that Ada wasn't entirely prepared for. She tried answering them best as she could. Even Pepper had noticed with a start that Ada sounded older than she was.

Until then, she hadn't really given it much thought. Ada didn't think of herself wise beyond her age. Everyone at the orphanage believed and knew otherwise. For a six-year-old, she could have passed for a young adult. Maybe that was why she never got along with the other kids. Maggie was the only one she ever really got along with, and that was because they had been roommates.

"Well, first things first, I'd like to give you a gift," Pepper said once everyone had finished getting to know one another. Ada rose an eyebrow as the strawberry blond left the table, returning a moment later with a small box wrapped with bright paper around it. "Tony did say that today is your birthday."

Ada was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say once more as she eyed the brightly wrapped box warily, "Yes… But, getting adopted is one of the best presents anyone could give me."

She couldn't hide the tears that threatened to overwhelm her when Pepper handed the present to her. While Mr. Stark hadn't said anything about that comment, she could tell he was trying to hide the grin that followed.

"See, Peps? What'd I tell you?" he asked with a playful nudge, "She's perfect."

She only blushed out of sheer embarrassment while Pepper rolled her eyes. Ada looked down at the gift in her hands before opening it carefully, pulling the brightly colored ribbon and setting it to the side. Once she opened the box, she let out a quiet gasp as she saw what lay inside.

The gift was a stuffed cheetah, her favorite animal. Ada eyed the gift curiously, realizing with a start that it was an exact replica of the one she had lost a year ago. The old one she used to sleep with had been thrown away, because it was too worn out. Even Heather, with all her sewing skills, couldn't repair it.

"How did you…?" Ada couldn't bring herself to finish the question as she remembered how heartbroken she had been when she lost her favorite stuffed animal.

"Tony did a little research before we made a final decision," Pepper explained before he could open his mouth, "We hope you enjoy your new life."

Gently, Pepper held onto Ada's hand as tears formed at the edge of her vision. She kept telling herself that she wasn't going to cry. She was too choked up for words, now. This was truly the best birthday gift anyone could have given her.

…

"Does anyone know where she came from?" Pepper asked as she sat at the bar a few hours after they made sure Ada was fast asleep.

Once they were finished cleaning everything up, Tony had offered drinks for everyone after their hours of hard work setting up for the party. To say it wasn't a success would have been an understatement. Seeing those tears of joy had left Pepper feeling warm and happy, knowing that they'd made someone's life better.

"No," Tony replied after pouring a glass of whiskey for himself, and a drink for Pepper and Happy, "That's part of the reason they asked me to adopt her. Mentioned I was the best choice for her."

Pepper threw him a look of disbelief. If there was one thing she had learned about while being his secretary for the last who knew how many years, it was that he was anything but responsible for a child. All the rumors flying around about Tony Stark being a playboy, philanthropist, and billionaire were true.

"So, this was all a publicity stunt?" Happy guessed, frowning at the thought of hurting the little girl that way.

"It's a good way to get the media off our backs, for a while," Tony replied gruffly, "The kid needed a home, and I needed a way of getting on their good side."

Though, he wasn't going to lie when meeting her for the first time had surprised him. Ada wasn't like the other kids at that orphanage. Her intelligence alone had surprised him, along with the fact that she reminded him of himself, when he was her age. She had the potential to be so much more. She just needed someone who was willing to push her to that potential. While Tony was anything but father material, he knew that this had been the right choice.

"Look, Tony, Ada is going to be your responsibility, from now on," Pepper reminded him pointedly, "And, as scary as that is, she's going to need you."

Tony wrinkled his nose at the thought of having to take care of a kid. Pepper was right about one thing – kids were a huge responsibility. One he didn't think and knew he wasn't ready for. But, someone had trusted him with the task of raising her. Like it or not, he needed to step up the plate and do what everyone least expected: Be a father.

* * *

 **AN: Remember, reviews are always appreciated! Also, I'm planning on taking down the original once I reach chapter ten, or fifteen, so, that's just a heads up to anyone who still wants to take a look at how cheesy my writing was, back than XD**


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Three years had passed since Ada arrived at the Stark household. Within those three years, a lot had changed.

Her hair had gotten longer, now growing down past her shoulders. She'd gotten taller, and signs of her young age were beginning to disappear. Tony liked to joke that even if she wasn't a Stark by blood, she looked the part, and she often acted the part. She kept expecting to wake up one day and find out that being adopted by him had been nothing but a dream, and that she would be back at the orphanage. Of course, that never happened. Yet, it was still strange to think that she had officially become a Stark.

Once she started school, Ada moved through her classes quickly. She impressed the teachers by learning five different languages, and acing all of her tests. Science, history and math had been her favorite subjects. While friends were difficult to come by, Ada knew that was partly because she spent most of her time in the books or working with Tony in the labs, where she continued learning new things every day. Making friends had never been easy to begin with because she was a Stark. Most of the kids at her school tried taking advantage of her so they could have easy access to whatever money he had. Fortunately, Ada knew well enough to know that those kind of people needed to be avoided.

She had to laugh when the teachers accused her of cheating one day. One of the teachers had told the principal that Tony was doing her homework for her. So, the principal had asked Tony to show up in school one day, and sit in the office while she sat in a separate room to take a standard test. She had an hour to complete the test in question, and did so with ease, taking everyone except Tony by surprise. The teacher had just gaped at her when the test was graded, and she had passed with flying colors.

The teacher who questioned her had been a science teacher who wanted nothing more than to prove that she had been cheating. About the only positive outcome she had was seeing the satisfaction of proving them wrong.

"She may not share my genes, but, she's a genius in her own rights," Tony had informed them, the smugness and pride in his voice enough to make Ada nearly roll her eyes.

The teacher hadn't bothered trying to prove that she was cheating since then. Though, he had grudgingly graded Ada's tests, and he had given her more assignments than the other students. She knew this was all thanks to what Tony said. At that point, she didn't bother arguing with the teacher, knowing it would just make things worse.

Ada shook her head at the thought. She was officially nine years old. Her birthday would more than likely be ignored by Tony, since he was usually so busy with work or another woman that he didn't bother with her. She hadn't had the heart to remind him that it was her birthday. Not when he offered a home, and so much more. It wasn't thoughts on her birthday that had woken her up, though. Something else had, and, it was enough for her to stir in panic.

The early morning rays of sunlight barely penetrated through the blinds Ada had set up along her windows. She shifted uneasily under her covers, noticing a strange scent that made her think twice about what was going on. It was the acrid tang of smoke that caused her senses to go haywire. Panic swept through Ada when she realized why the scent was so strong.

Of course, no one bothered to stop by and make sure everything was okay. Ada didn't bother with Tony when he was in one of his moods. He may have acted like the doting parent he was around school teachers and other parents, but, truthfully, he wasn't. He ignored her whenever they weren't in the lab, and he focused his attention on the women who would often stop by for a 'visit'. Ada knew full-well what those 'visits' were, and she felt her stomach wrench in disgust at the thought. Sometimes it was better not to think of what went on behind those closed doors. Especially since she heard enough rumors flying around about Tony's involvement with women.

She leaped out of the bed, reaching the nearest wall to stare at the burned sheets in panic. Carefully, Ada checked to make sure that she hadn't been burned in the process of the fire. She eyed her arms cautiously, realizing with a start that they showed no burn marks. The rest of the room had been left relatively intact, with no signs of being set on fire. That only added to Ada's confusion. Something wasn't right. Bed sheets didn't normally catch on fire unless there had been a good reason behind it. She couldn't find anything that would have caused the fire.

"Hey, Jarvis, are there any burn marks you can scan throughout the room?" she asked cautiously, knowing the AI would be honest in his scans.

Maybe this was all just a bad dream. Ada tried pinching her arm to make sure. She winced after doing so, only to confirm for herself that this was real. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought. The logical part of her mind was already trying to figure out how the fire could have been caused without any reasoning.

' _It appears as though you are unharmed_ ,' the friendly AI replied after running a full scan, ' _The contents of your room show that only your bed sheets have burn marks_.'

Ada sucked in a breath at that. Since adopting her, Tony had given her full access to Jarvis. She could still remember some of the many arguments she would have with the AI, who eventually told her that arguing with a computerized system was pointless, and a waste of time. Eventually, they learned to get along.

 _This just took on a whole new level of weird_ , Ada thought after reaching her bed sheets.

Luckily, they were now just smoking; the fire itself had diminished. Ada was left figuring out what to do with her now charred bed sheets. She knew telling Tony or anyone else what had happened was out of the question. They would immediately jump to conclusions. The last thing she wanted was to explain that she managed to burn down an entire mattress and set of bed sheets.

"I think it's best we keep this between ourselves, J," she whispered once she pulled apart her bed to make sure that no remains of the fire could be seen.

A new mattress was also necessary. She hadn't realized until than that the mattress itself had burned as well. She didn't want to explain to them why she needed a new mattress. Living in the orphanage taught her not to take advantage of anything.

' _As you wish, Miss Stark_ ,' Jarvis replied.

She let out a sigh of frustration and folded the sheets as best as she could in a ball. Once that task was finished, Ada made a mental note to see if she could get her mattress replaced without Tony or anyone else noticing. Getting past Tony would be easy, though. It was Pepper that she worried about, more than anything else.

The sun had fully risen by the time Ada had finished cleaning up and got changed. She glanced at the clock, noting that it wasn't even nine in the morning. Most likely, Tony would either be fast asleep or working down in the lab. She shook her head at the thought once more.

 _Maybe it's better that he's so ignorant_ , she thought when she walked out of her room and headed for the living room. She wasn't surprised to find Pepper already there. While the strawberry blond normally spent most of her afternoon hours at Stark Industries, Pepper would often step by to check on her. Ada was grateful Pepper always checked on her, and made sure everything was okay. At least _someone_ seemed to care whether or not something was wrong.

"Hey, Pepper, do you know where Tony is?" she asked hesitantly.

Pepper was sitting at the desk, listening to the classical music playing softly in the background. She used these early mornings to get things ready for work. Not that Ada didn't blame her for that. She knew that things were always busy at Stark Industries.

The older woman looked up in surprise, hardly aware of Ada's arrival.

"He's down in the lab," she replied. Though, the reluctance in her voice suggested otherwise. Ada made a face at that, deciding she didn't want to know. "Do you need anything?"

"Actually, I was kind of hoping that you could order some new bed sheets… along with a new mattress," Ada admitted, embarrassment sweeping through her.

Back at the orphanage, she was lucky if she got a replacement for her bed sheets. Money had always been a difficulty, and Ada knew better than to ask for new things. Pepper seemed to notice her hesitance, and she shook her head in amusement.

"Sweetie, all you have to do is ask," she reassured her. "What happened to the old ones?"

Worry gnawed at the back of Ada's mind. She knew she had planned on keeping that part a secret. Yet, she also knew that she should tell someone, at least. Pepper might understand what was going on. She at least wouldn't judge Ada based on one mistake.

"I'd rather not say," she finally murmured, looking down at the floor halfheartedly.

Pepper raised an eyebrow when she noticed something was clearly bothering her. She stood up and reached Ada as she felt heat rising up in her chest. When Pepper placed a hand on her forehead, her eyes widened in alarm. Ada had to swallow back the lump forming in her throat when she realized something _was_ wrong with her.

"You're burning up," she drew out, looking at Ada anxiously as she moved from her forehead down to her arm, feeling the same intense heat, "Do you have a fever?"

"No, I feel fine," Ada protested, trying to avoid getting questioned.

That only seemed to add to her worry. Pepper always seemed to reach some wild conclusion when she noticed something was wrong. It was one of the qualities of Pepper Potts that Ada both admired and found annoying at times.

"Maybe I should call Tony," Pepper suggested, already reaching for her phone on the desk.

Alarm swept through Ada at the thought of Pepper telling Tony. The last thing she wanted was to explain that the sheets had somehow set themselves on fire because of _her_. She quickly wrenched herself free from Pepper's grasp and stepped back.

"Please don't tell Tony," she whispered, looking down at the floor guiltily. Pepper's face softened as she looked at Ada seriously, "I'd rather he not know. He's already busy enough to worry about me."

 _And he'll be too busy to be bothered with my birthday_ , she added silently. There wasn't any bitterness or resentment in her thought process. At that point, Ada had gotten used to the way Tony behaved around her. Most kids would have been ecstatic to be adopted by Tony Stark. But she often found herself wondering if he only adopted her as some sort of ploy for the media.

The older woman let out a sigh when she realized there wasn't any point in arguing. Ada was dead set against telling Tony. She could only imagine what he would say once he found out. If he cared at all. Honestly, there were times when she wondered if he did.

"Alright," she murmured in agreement after putting her phone back down, "Sweetie, you know if anything is bothering you, you can tell me, okay?"

Ada gave a nod to show that she understood. To her relief, Pepper didn't question her any further. She used the silence as a chance to escape before things could escalate any further. After spending six years of her life in an orphanage, Ada wasn't in any hurry to make anyone regret that they adopted her.

She let out a sigh as she reached the kitchen. So much had changed in her life, yet she wondered if her life had changed for the better. Sure, she had a roof over her head, and she could finally call herself a Stark. But, at what cost?

When she opened the refrigerator, Ada blinked in surprise after seeing something on one of the shelves. While the package itself was small, she knew immediately what it was. She pulled it out carefully, smiling at the box in question.

Over the last three years, someone had been giving her a birthday present. She knew it wasn't Pepper, Tony, or anyone else in the household. How they managed to slip in and out without causing an alarm was beyond her, but she always got a letter and a small piece of cake as a present.

She set the box itself on the counter and opened the letter, reading it word from word curiously. It was written in the same handwriting as the envelope she was given before leaving the orphanage. Ada had a feeling that 'C' knew more about her than even _she_ understood.

' _Happy birthday, Miss Ada Stark. I hope you're enjoying your new life, and this gift_ – _C_.'

"Thanks, C," Ada whispered, taking the cake and grabbing a fork, "Whoever you are."

' _Miss Stark, Mr. Stark has informed me to warn you that he is on his way to the kitchen_ ,' Jarvis suddenly warned her.

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Ada quickly finished her cake and threw the contents in the garbage, minus the letter. She always kept her letters. She kept them as a reminder that someone was looking out for her, and that she wasn't as alone as she felt.

It didn't take long for Tony to arrive minutes after Jarvis' random announcement. Ada suspected that Pepper had informed him of their conversation, earlier. She couldn't help but chew the bottom of her lip when he reached her, frowning when she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms.

"You know, when Pepper told me that you came to her asking for new bed sheets, I almost didn't believe her," he snorted in amusement, cutting through the awkward silence. "But, when you asked for a new mattress, I knew something was up."

"I'm surprised you give a crap," Ada scoffed, ignoring the look he threw her.

"Where is this coming from?" Tony raised an eyebrow in surprise, clearly aware something else was bothering her.

"You only seem to care about me when it concerns you," she retorted, "It's the same with everything else – all you care about is yourself."

She hadn't meant for the last part to come out so bitterly. The moment it did was when Ada looked down at the floor, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself. She was frustrated, mostly with what had happened and the fact that he had missed so much.

Tony frowned when he finally seemed to understand what was bothering her, "Look, kid, I'm sorry – I know I can be an ass. I'm still new at this whole… parenting thing. Truth be told, I don't even know why they asked me to adopt you; there's about a hundred people who would've been a better choice."

Ada flinched, knowing full-well he would have never adopted her had things gone his way. Even when she first arrived at the mansion, she firmly believed it was just a publicity stunt. Anything to gain favor on the media that seemed to focus on him, and every move he made.

"Why _did_ you adopt me, Tony?" she demanded, feeling a surge of anger as she glared at him.

She refused to call him 'dad', for multiple reasons. She could be just as stubborn as him, if not worse. And after the way he acted around her since he adopted her, her reasons were justified. What bothered her more than anything was that he didn't seem to understand _why_ she was so annoyed with him.

"I wish I knew," he admitted, running a hand through his hair.

A shiver ran through Ada when he moved forward. She had wondered what would happen if Tony hadn't agreed with whatever terms were given when he adopted her. She would have probably been stuck at the orphanage. No one wanted someone like her.

She flinched once again when Tony finally reached her and wrapped his arms hesitantly around her. It took a few seconds for Ada to register that he was actually hugging her. He was hugging her, and didn't seem repulsed by it. Ada finally returned the gesture, feeling more confused than ever.

"So, does that mean you don't mind being a parent?" she asked hesitantly when they pulled apart.

"Of course, not," he chuckled in response, shaking his head as they both straightened up after that, "Ada, adopting you was the best choice I could've made. And don't you ever forget that, kiddo."

Ada couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed. Maybe Tony wasn't as bad as she first thought. True, he may have forgotten her birthday, but, she wasn't expecting anything extravagant. For now, this would do as a birthday present. So long as he and Pepper didn't find out about what happened with the bed sheets, or the mattress, she was perfectly happy with the way things were run.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Four years had passed since that incident with the bed. Four years since Ada discovered that she was responsible for setting that bed on fire. It wasn't as if she had done it on purpose. She quickly learned that she could control and create fire in the palm of her hands. Much to her astonishment, Tony had replaced the bed with a new one without any argument. He never questioned what had happened, only provided what little comfort he could at the time of her sudden change and proved that maybe he really was father-like material. When he finally proved that he was father material, she knew at that point that getting adopted was one of the best things that could have happened to her.

Unsurprisingly, Ada had also graduated early from school. Tony was the one who encouraged it after seeing that she hadn't made many friends. Part of it was due to the fact that she was his adopted daughter. So many girls had tried being her friend just because of her last name, while boys tried taking advantage of her. In the end, Ada had learned it was better not to trust them and move on with life. She'd impressed her teachers and the principal to the point where they just handed her her diploma with no further arguments. They knew it was pointless to argue with the fact that her scores were off the charts. Keeping her in school would only drag her down, especially after seeing the way she was treated by some of the other students.

She had also learned that Maggie was doing well in her new home. Since Maggie was two years younger than her, she still had two more years of school to get through. The two of them would often spend long nights talking when Ada wasn't out on the beach, trying to practice her powers. She hadn't told anyone about them, other than writing it down in a notebook. Ada figured it was better to keep such powers a secret, at least until she knew for sure they weren't dangerous. Besides, she wasn't sure how they would react to finding out that she had powers. As far as she was aware, normal humans didn't have the kind of powers she had.

Rhodes spent a lot of time with her when Tony was busy at work, or when he was busy dealing with the press. Ada didn't mind spending time with the Colonel, especially since he always had some of the best stories to tell. Between Rhodes, Pepper, and Happy, she was happy, now. At fourteen years old, Ada had established a good life with Tony Stark. True, there were ups and downs but, she realized that her life could have turned out a lot worse had they not talked things through.

Ada had built a target range on the cove not far from the mansion. She could easily climb down the rocks without anyone noticing, and she slipped out when Tony was busy talking business with Obadiah Stane. She loved spending time out in the open, where she could feel the ocean breeze. It gave her a sense of calm where the mansion didn't. Here, she truly felt free to just be herself. She used that to her full advantage, often firing at the targets until she exhausted herself.

She wasn't sure how far her power extended beyond what she practiced. The problem was, she tried testing her limits to see whether or not there was more she could do. While she wasn't in any hurry to show them off in public, she wasn't above practicing them constantly. After all, practice did make perfect.

Tony was the one who constantly drilled that into her. When he saw what she was capable of in school, he knew holding her back wasn't a good idea. She'd surpassed all expectations in both her education and normal everyday life.

' _Ma'am, Mr. Stark wishes to speak with you_.'

Jarvis' voice sounded through the earpiece Ada always kept on her. She'd built one in Tony's lab when she realized she needed a warning signal while out on the cove. The last thing she wanted was Tony or anyone else figuring out what she was up to. She went out almost every night, slipping away unnoticed or with a warning to Jarvis that he keep this between them. The AI hadn't betrayed her, yet, and she was grateful he hadn't.

"Alright, Jarvis; tell him I'll be there in a few," she replied through her earpiece. Relief swept through her when Jarvis repeated what she said to Tony. She quickly climbed the rocks and checked to make sure there weren't any scrapes before reaching the back porch. There was a makeshift latter she used to climb onto it, and, it came in handy during instances like these. She frowned when she caught sight of Tony standing in the living room, waiting for her with his foot tapping impatiently. "Is something wrong?" she asked warily, suddenly wondering if he'd caught her down there.

"Ada, I'm leaving for a few days, starting tomorrow," he explained once she reached him. Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise. She understood that Tony took a lot of trips across the world. He'd actually taken her on a few as birthday presents, making more than a few people jealous in the process, "I've got a weapons presentation that requires my presence in the Middle East."

Ada tilted her head to one side at that. She wasn't surprised he was needed for that presentation. Considering he was the one who designed said weapons, it made sense for him to be there. Yet, that didn't stop the knot of worry from forming in the pit of her stomach. With all the unrest in the Middle East, she knew it was only a matter of time before war broke out. Going there during a time of turmoil sounded like a bad idea.

"I wish I could go with you," she admitted.

She suddenly felt uneasy with the thought of him leaving like this. He usually took her on trips throughout the states when the company was involved. But with so much going on in the Middle East, he clearly wanted nothing to do with her tagging along. Sure enough, Tony shook his head, already detesting the idea of her going with him. He knelt down to one knee and wrapped an arm around her in a hug.

"You and I both know I'd never let you anywhere near that place," he reminded her, "Not without body-armor and a guard of soldiers for protection."

She almost laughed at that, "You said the same thing about the school dance, which, by the way, I refused to go to anyways since no one asked me out," she pointed out.

Tony smirked knowingly. He'd made it perfectly clear to any boy that showed interest in her that she was off-limits. He'd gone from caring little to being overprotective within those four years. Though, Ada never minded. In fact, she liked the idea of having a father who cared so much about her own safety.

It was certainly a far cry from what she had grown up with in the orphanage. She had gotten used to growing up without a father figure in her life back there. But the moment Tony adopted her was when her life had changed for the better. She knew that most of the kids at the orphanage would have given anything to have a father like Tony in their lives. And Ada was only just beginning to realize how lucky she was that Tony had chosen to adopt her.

"Pepper and Obadiah are staying behind to keep an eye on you, alright?" he added once he stood back up.

She simply nodded at that, knowing it was mostly Happy who would keep an eye on her. She'd grown to enjoy spending time with Happy since he looked after becoming her official babysitter. Though, if she was being honest, she could just as easily defend herself if anything happened to her. Powers or not, she was no pushover in a fight.

"Stay safe," she told him, her voice barely a whisper.

"You don't have to worry about me," he reassured her, "I'll always find a way back home."

She nodded once more, finding it hard to believe this was the same man from four years ago. Times had changed for both of them. Four years ago, she wouldn't have even called him 'dad'. Tony blinked in surprise when she called him that, and she'd caught the look of pride that would follow shortly after. He would never admit it out loud, but he was proud of her, and he had no regrets in agreeing to adopting her himself.

Now that Ada thought about it, she was suddenly grateful for the changes that were made between them. She hadn't realized until that moment just how much being able to call someone her 'dad' meant to her. It was a strange thought process, but she knew she wouldn't want things any different.

Now, she surprised herself by calling him that just now, "Thank you, dad."

Tony took her by surprise when he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. Ada couldn't help but return it, hoping that he really would make it back safely. After everything that had happened over the last four years, losing him would be worse than being told she didn't belong anywhere.

"Anytime, kiddo," he whispered back.

…

Coulson leaned against the back of his seat as he studied the footage in front of him. He'd been keeping track of Ada since Stark adopted her. From sending little birthday gifts to stopping by to watch as she grew, he knew she was getting stronger with each day.

The team that had started its research on her sudden appearance in the world had finally figured out something unusual, about Ada Stark. Coulson couldn't help but frown as he pictured her throwing balls of fire at the targets she set up. She wasn't human. At least, that was what it seemed. His concern for her safety had been ever-growing. She could easily be caught while practicing on the cove, and it had taken every ounce of restraint not to interfere and tell her to go back inside.

"Sir, Mr. Stark is getting ready to leave," he reported to Director Fury. While he had multiple cases floating around that had already been taken care of, this was his most important case. He'd watched Ada grow from a newborn to who she was now. "Sir?" he repeated with a bit of uncertainty.

"Make sure you keep an eye on Ada," Director Fury suddenly replied. Coulson held back a sigh of relief and looked back at the screen, keeping his eyes trained on Ada as Stark left the premises. "With Stark gone, she won't have as much protection."

"As much as I hate to say it, boss, something tells me that she can protect herself," Coulson pointed out, remembering the torched targets from minutes ago.

He would not want to get on Ada's bad side. After seeing what she was capable of, it was obvious that she had more potential than they first realized. That alone led to the numerous possibilities of allowing her to join their agency. Her powers gave her an advantage over others, which was an asset that could not be ignored. If they planned on finding some way of getting her to join the agency, they would need to act quickly. Otherwise other agencies could try and persuade her into joining before they had the chance to ask. And he had a feeling that wouldn't end well for anyone involved.

…

The mother let out a gasp as she struggled to keep up with her family. Life for the traveling group had become increasingly difficult for all of them, since people began discovering their abilities. The expectant mother had been born with the power to control the elements, something of which the rest of her people were unable to do. Everyone else could wield one ability, or one element. It was the way of their people, and it was a tradition that passed on from generation to generation.

However, when those who were outside their group had discovered the woman's powers, they turned on them. The group had quickly learned that they were not welcomed here. However, that did not stop their will to survive.

"Keep moving! They'll catch up to us!"

The leader of the group had stopped in their tracks after noticing the mother had stopped as well. She had tripped, and she was now clutching her ankle in pain. None of them were used to running like this. Especially a pregnant woman. The people who were after them had sought those born with powers, and they had discovered their presence just an hour ago. Their determination to hunt them down like wild animals had terrified the group.

Once word slipped through the village they had been hiding at that there were men on horseback searching for them, they quickly left without a trace. Leaving a trail would only end in misery, with the men finding them. Even so, they didn't have the time to stop and worry over such injuries.

"Kasai!" the woman cried out, grinding her teeth together in pain. This kind of stress was not good for anyone, let alone someone in her condition. The protection of her unborn child meant more to her than she would ever let on, "My ankle must have twisted on that branch."

"Relax," the older woman soothed after hovering a hand over her injury. The expectant mother did just that, steadying her breathing as a golden light appeared from the palm of the older woman's hands. Seconds seemed to pass before the pain began to ease. "You may now try out your foot."

The expectant mother carefully stepped on her once injured foot, sighing in relief when she felt no pain.

"Thank you, Kasai," she whispered, eyes widening in alarm when she noticed the group of riders on horses approaching.

"Go, now! I will hold them off for as long as I can," Kasai suddenly ordered.

"No, I'm not leaving you, sister," the woman protested, feeling her heart break at the thought of losing someone else she cared so deeply for.

The leader of the group was already dragging the pleading woman away. Her eyes widened in horror as the horsemen reached Kasai, who stood her ground. Beads of golden light surrounded Kasai as she glared at the horsemen that surrounded her. She had been preparing for this moment, and she readied herself for their attacks.

The golden lights began whipping about at the horsemen, who drew their swords as the horses shied away from the lights. While they were meant as a means of intimidation, they had an energy that could easily harm those Kasai deemed worthy. The men that surrounded her learned this the hard way as one of them collapsed to the ground with a deep gash on his neck. Kasai attacked them relentlessly, using whatever methods she could to buy her people time to escape.

Her attacks wouldn't last much longer. One of the men suddenly threw a rope in her direction, tripping her as she tried running once more. She wasn't given a chance to fight back as more ropes flew in her direction, binding her hands and feet together within seconds. The men wasted no time in beating her down until she was covered in bruises, feeling utterly powerless against their strength.

"You will be the first of many to die," the leader of the horsemen sneered after reaching the horrified woman.

Kasai merely narrowed her eyes as he reached her, grabbing hold of her chin. Even though his heavy armor, she could see that these men were nothing more than mere cowards. They were targeting innocent people because they were different, and it only justified the rumors they'd all heard.

"Our kind will never die," she spat out the words defiantly. "You will soon realize that; we are meant to survive."

The golden light was already beginning to appear before the startled men. Her wounds were just starting to heal once more when the leader of the group slapped her across the face, striking hard. A shiver ran through Kasai at the blinding pain of his metal-clad hand, leaving a blaring red mark on her cheek.

"Then, let the hunt begin," he crowed.

…

Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat as she woke up, gasping for air. Beads of sweat rolled down her face. The room suddenly felt much smaller when she recalled the vivid nightmare still haunting her mind. Someone had died right in front of her. The thought of watching someone die, without being able to do something about it, sent shivers of fear through her.

Who was that woman? Who was the pregnant woman who had called her 'sister'? Most importantly, the group of people they had been with seemed vaguely familiar. Her mind was already trying to run through the numerous possibilities. She didn't want to believe what she saw. She wanted to pretend that it had been nothing more than a fantasy, made up in her mind. Yet, everything had felt so real, as if it was an old memory.

A shiver ran through Ada as she tried casting the thoughts away. She had a feeling that the nightmare probably didn't mean anything. Whatever that nightmare was, she knew that in the morning, she would forget all about it. At least, that was her hope.


	5. Chapter Five

**Five**

When Tony explained that he was planning a trip to Afghanistan for a weapon's demonstration, Ada had been dreading the moment he left. She had seen enough stories and broadcasts to know that the Middle East was constant at a state of turmoil. Civil wars usually broke out between different countries, often dragging others into their mess. Though it was full of political unrest, Ada also understood the urgency to provide protection to the military currently stationed there.

She just couldn't shake off the feeling that something horrible would happen to him. After so many close calls as it was, she knew that Tony's luck would only last so long. Obadiah had always reassured her that it was probably just her nerves getting the better of her. But something in the back of Ada's mind told her there was more going on.

When she tried talking to Pepper about it, the strawberry blond simply brushed it aside as if it was nothing to worry about. Now that Ada thought about it, she wondered if she should have tried convincing Tony to let her go with him.

With the early morning sunlight filtering through the curtains that covered her broad windows, Ada shifted uneasily in her bed. She hadn't gotten much sleep that evening after Tony left. Nightmares kept haunting her dreams when she closed her eyes. A combination of the dreams she had of those people, and of something terrible happening to Tony, kept reoccurring. It was barely past six in the morning, yet she knew that trying to get some sleep was pointless.

Her mind was already churning with anxiety as it was when she finally sat up and tossed the bed sheets aside. The knot in her stomach refused to go away as she got into the shower and tried washing away her worries. When that didn't work, she quickly changed and tried thinking of something else that might put her mind to ease.

Ada knew that it was illogical to worry so much about something she had no control over. In the back of her mind, she kept telling herself that everything would turn out okay. Hearing Tony's voice tell her that she had arrived the other night had been oddly reassuring. He sent her pictures, and he told her that he would likely be back the next day if everything went according to plan. She at least had hope that things would go smoothly enough.

She shook her head at the thought and decided to reach her bed. She pulled a notebook out from under her bed, with pages that already had paragraphs written down. After discovering the use of her powers, Ada had gotten into the habit of writing down her progress. This time though, she wrote down the very vivid memory of her dream in full detail. She needed to remember this dream – something in the back of her mind told her that they were important.

Writing down everything from memory was the best way to figure out in detail why she kept having those dreams in the first place. She wanted nothing more than to understand why they kept reoccurring the way they did. Few people had dreams the way she did.

Once she finished writing everything down, she hid her notebook under the bed to keep anyone else from discovering it. It was the first time Ada had realized that those people were similar to her. They may not have had the same powers, but that woman who died in front of her had powers of her own. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there had to be some kind of connection. After all, the only other people born with powers were mutants.

 _Maybe that's what I am_ , she thought, wondering if that was true. If that was the case, maybe she should have looked more into it. She'd read into studies done by Professor Charles Xavier. He was one of the most powerful influences she knew in the world of mutants. If anyone knew whether or not she had some connection with mutants, he probably would.

Ada squeezed her eyes shut at the thought, making a mental note to look into it later. Anything as better than not knowing at all. All she wanted to do was figure out where her powers came from in the first place.

After all, how many human beings were born with powers like hers?

She skidded down the rocky bluff that led to the cove where she set up targets for practice. After learning how to control fire, Ada had spent hours in the lab designing targets that were fireproof. Such an object came in handy during moments like these when she needed to vent off some steam.

She used the targets themselves as a way of controlling her temper. Ada had learned the hard way that her powers were based off how strongly she felt. That first night when her powers first developed, she'd panicked. That was why the bed sheets caught on fire.

Waves crashed onto the sandy beach when Ada reached the cove. She relished the warm sun that bathed her skin, soaking it in. There were many times when she thought of herself as lucky to have been adopted by Tony. She never realized until than how much she loved the beach, and everything it had to offer.

Taking a deep breath, a flame appeared at the palm of her hand when Ada concentrated hard enough. That was the key to focusing her powers – concentration. The first time she tried this trick, she nearly burned the mansion down in the process. She was lucky, though. On a good day, Ada had learned how to harness her powers and figure out where to aim them at. Hence the targets that were used on a weekly basis.

Each shot she fired hit the target with ease, causing a tiny explosion in the process. It amazed Ada that no one caught onto what was happening. Though, she had a feeling that things would end badly if they found out what she was up to. She moved from one spot to the other, firing each target until she ran out of energy. By the time she was finished, smoke rose from the wooden posts that the targets were attached to.

Once she was left gasping for breath, Ada sat down on the beach and stared at nothing in particular. With Tony gone, Ada had enough time to think about how she would tell him that she had powers. The thought had never really occurred to her, that often. She often worried what he would think of her if he found out that she could manipulate fire. Memories of that dream kept telling her that he would react badly.

Not for the first time, Ada found herself looking down at the palm of her hands where a tiny flame appeared to be dancing. She often wondered where this power came from. Or, why they only just started to develop the way they did. Waking up randomly one morning and finding the bed sheets and mattress on fire was not normal. Not in the least.

It was one of the many reasons she hadn't told anyone what she could do. She was terrified of how everyone would react. Tony might take it well enough, but the others were a complete mystery. Besides, the less she knew about her powers, the less chances she had of hurting someone.

"What the hell am I?" she wondered out loud, her voice barely a whisper.

The thought terrified her. As much as Ada tried telling herself that she was normal, she knew she was anything but normal. No kid her age had the level of intelligence she did. No kid at the age of six could speak in full sentences and make full-grown adults look like idiots in the process.

Her mental abilities were what made her stand apart from everyone else. She'd caused quite a rift within the school when she was taking her classes. Tony wanted her to have a normal life at one point. But when she proved that she was capable of so much more, he finally pulled her out.

That was also one of the many reasons she didn't have many friends her age. As difficult as it was to accept it, someone like her didn't normally fit in with society. It wasn't Tony's fault. She just couldn't bring herself to have a normal conversation with someone her age without causing them to judge her.

Her thoughts were churning with so much anxiety that she hadn't even noticed the waves were also churning stronger than ever. Ada nearly leaped out of her skin when the wave suddenly began to rise as she stood up. When she tried lifting her hand, she noticed with a start that the wave was following her movements. Ada blinked in disbelief when she flicked her wrist, watching in amazement as the wave suddenly broke and crashed back into the ocean.

Ada couldn't help but stare at the water in amazement as she noticed droplets just hovering in front of her. With a sigh, she let her hands fall to her sides, and the rest of the water crashed down as well, splashing her in the process. It took Ada a few seconds to process the realization that _she_ had been controlling the water.

 _I can control water_ , she realized silently, almost giddy with excitement. Despite her earlier fear, Ada felt more at ease with this kind of power. Water was soothing, calm and _healing_. Fire was damaging, terrifying, and powerful in its own way.

More questions than answers formed in the back of Ada's mind as she tried figuring out how this was even possible. It suddenly left her wondering if she could control other elements. Fire, water… the possibilities were endless. Ada knew that powers like these weren't normal, and that she would need to keep them hidden now, more than ever.

She jumped when her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. When she fished for it and held it up, Ada's eyes widened when she realized that it was already past noon. She hardly even noticed how much time had passed. Focusing her attention on the targets and her powers seemed to take away more time than she would have hoped.

"Ada, you might want to get inside, something's happened."

That was Pepper's voice she heard through the voicemail, and the urgency in her voice sent thrills of alarm through Ada. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach as Ada climbed back up the rocks and made her way towards the mansion. Pepper rarely sounded worried, unless Tony was somehow involved. That only left Ada feeling even more anxious when she finally reached the living room, blinking in surprise at the people standing around inside.

Rhodes and Obadiah were also with Pepper, neither looking thrilled with whatever had happened. The knot felt tighter than ever, and, Ada knew something serious had happened. Especially as she caught Rhodes refusing to meet her questioning gaze.

"It's about dad, isn't it?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear. She knew the unrest in the Middle East was the reason why Tony hadn't allowed her to tag along with him. That along with the fact that this was nothing more than a weapon's demonstration. Pepper's nod only confirmed Ada's worst fears. "What happened?" she demanded, trying to keep the anger and fear from overwhelming her.

"It was after the weapon's demonstration," Rhodes explained uneasily, "He took a separate caravan and it was ambushed. When we managed to find the caravan, it was destroyed, and the only body we couldn't find was his. We haven't heard from him or seen him since."

Ada had to sit down beside Pepper as she tried processing what Rhodes told her. Images of a caravan going up in smoke suddenly flashed across her mind. She couldn't shake off the overwhelming feeling of fear and worry. This shouldn't have happened. This couldn't have happened. Not now, not ever.

"There's a press conference scheduled at the labs, tomorrow," Obadiah added, cutting through the icy silence that followed as Pepper took hold of Ada's hand and squeezed it gently, "We'll find him, hopefully."

"He can't be gone," Ada whispered, trying to ignore the tears that stung the edge of her vision. Pepper squeezed her hand once more, and suddenly wrapped her arms around her in a comforting hug, "He can't be," she kept repeating herself, feeling an ounce of denial when Obadiah took a step back.

Obadiah had always been a family friend. Yet, there was something about the way he spoke and acted that left Ada feeling even more uneasy about the whole situation. He didn't seem to care that Tony was missing. In fact, he showed no emotions at all. Just, an eerie sense of calm.

 _How can he be so calm_? she wondered, feeling her heart sink even lower at the thought that she might not ever see Tony again. And, only after they just started getting along, too. Ada couldn't imagine what he must be going through, if he was alive.

Once Obadiah left, Ada let out a quiet sigh as she buried her face into Pepper's shoulder. Knowing that Tony was gone didn't help matters. It suddenly left her wondering what would happen to her. As selfish as it sounded, Ada knew she wouldn't have anywhere else to go if they decided to give her up.

She would be forced to live out on the streets once they chose that option. That thought alone left her shivering with unease. She wasn't sure what would happen to her if anyone figured out that she had powers. Living on the streets was one thing she could probably deal with on her own. But, she wasn't sure how people would react to someone who had the kind of powers she did.

"Look, I'm going to do whatever it takes to find your dad, Ada," Rhodes reassured her after reaching them. "We've already started sending out search parties."

She just gave a nod to show that she understood. Even through Rhodes' words of encouragement when he turned to leave, that didn't stop the flicker of doubt clouding Ada's mind. She couldn't help but think back to how many enemies Tony would have gained while developing those weapons. Or, how many more people would want him dead because of his money, and family name.

"Hey, everything is going to be okay," Pepper tried putting in once Rhodes was gone. Ada bit back a retort as Pepper stood up and tried brushing off the tears from earlier. "We're going to try and make the most of this, okay?"

"What's the point?" Ada muttered under her breath, "It isn't as if he's going to be found, anytime soon. It's like trying to look for a needle in a haystack."

"Ada, you can't just give up hope," Pepper let out a sigh after she realized this was something that Ada wouldn't let go anytime soon. She of all people knew how close they had been. Losing Tony hit her hard, harder than she wanted to admit out loud. "I think Tony wouldn't want you giving up that easily."

Ada swallowed hard when she heard the implications in Pepper's voice. She didn't want to give Ada false hope that they would find Tony. Yet, she also didn't want her giving up hope. Ada's hands balled into fists as she glared down at the floor.

"He said he wasn't going to let anything happen," she murmured crossly.

Pepper suddenly caught Ada by surprise when she reached out and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. Finally having had enough with holding back, Ada suddenly buried her face into Pepper's shoulder and let out a heavy sigh of her own.

"We're going to find him," Pepper reassured her once more, though even Ada could hear the doubt in her voice.

After everything that happened, she didn't want to believe that Tony was dead. But, the odds of him surviving something like that were slim. She knew that she should have been there with him. If anything, she could have at least provided some protection. Now, she would have to live with that guilt, and the realization that he might not be coming back.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

A few weeks had passed since Tony was reported as MIA. Obadiah had pretty much taken over the company within those few weeks. Ada tried her best to interfere when she could with his production, knowing that nothing good would come out of him taking over. Something about how Obadiah had taken over so easily without anyone fighting back raised a red flag for her. While it may not have been much of a change, Ada knew that any interference was better than none.

He never said much to her during Tony's disappearance. Obadiah just went on and pretty much ignored her presence entirely when he, Pepper and Happy were at the mansion. While Ada was perfectly happy with that notion, she still found herself feeling suspicious of whatever he was doing with the company.

She used what little free time she had to practice her powers as well. She alternated between fire and water, each day. Water was surprisingly easier to control than fire, as she soon found out. It took a bit more patience to manipulate, but Ada soon found herself enjoying the push and pull the water had as an effect. She even managed to use her powers together, by starting a fire and putting it out seconds later with water. Such a use could come in handy during an emergency, she supposed.

She had been making breakfast early in the morning when she heard a knock on the door. Ada had the place rigged ever since Tony disappeared with cameras around the front entrance. She figured it would be good to see who showed up that day. If Tony's caravan had been destroyed, something told her that someone was targeting the family. She couldn't shake off the feeling that somehow, she would be next.

When Ada looked at the security footage that showed on the screen in front of her, she rose an eyebrow in surprise. Standing in front of the door, wearing a fancy work suit, was a man who looked to be in his late thirties. She carefully zoomed in on the camera, eyes narrowing when she noticed the government official badge that was attached to his well-tailored suit. If there was one thing she had learned from Tony over the years, it was not to trust anyone who worked for the government.

"Jarvis, open the door for me, will you?" she asked after setting the pancakes on one plate, and the bacon on the other.

Pepper was the one who taught her how to cook. The older woman had taken it upon herself to at least teach one of the Stark's how to cook. Ada actually enjoyed working at the stove, especially when it came to making different meals each day, and turning the leftovers into something entirely different. She'd quickly learned that there were numerous things one could do with a certain dish if they put their mind to it, and if they had the right ingredients.

Ada peered over her shoulder as the man in question emerged from the entryway. She was just finished cleaning up when he reached the kitchen, face lighting up as if he couldn't believe his eyes. She nearly rolled her eyes at the sight, heading over to the fridge to grab the milk and pour a glass for herself while he struggled to maintain his composure.

"Thank you, for letting me in," he began while she busied herself by grabbing a plate. "My name is Phil Coulson; I work for Strategic Homeland Intervention End Logistics Division."

"That's quite the mouthful," Ada remarked.

She took a bite out of her pancakes as she eyed the man cautiously. If he knew she was capable of defending herself, if he tried attacking, he gave no indication. She simply maintained eye contact while taking bites out of her pancakes, aware of how dangerous allowing a stranger inside could be.

"I know. It's a work in progress," he offered a charming smile. Okay, now Ada was really curious as to what was going on. This guy obviously knew more than he was letting on, "Is anyone home with you at the moment?"

That was enough for Ada to stop what she was doing and give him a pointed glare. She knew Tony didn't trust the government for a reason. They usually took things without asking, and they often did so on a daily basis. To make matters worse, they had a tendency to reach conclusions that shouldn't have been reached in the first place.

She had quickly learned that the best way to deal with them was by acting as if nothing had happened. This 'Coulson' person didn't seem too much of a threat, but she suspected that he had been watching her every move since he arrived. The thought left her shivering with unease when she realized he could have been watching her even before that.

"Pepper's out fixing the mess at Stark Industries, and Rhodes is busy looking for dad," she replied tersely, ignoring the look he gave her.

"I see… so, you're alone," he said thoughtfully.

Ada narrowed her eyes once more and pushed the plate away, suddenly aware that things were going south, fast. While she had her powers to defend herself, if he decided to attack, she tried to avoid exposing herself at all costs. Instead, she would try and have Jarvis record the whole thing in the hopes that Pepper would notice and call the police.

Jarvis would send Pepper an alert within seconds if anything did happen. The man didn't even look phased when she shot him an icy look that dared him to try anything funny.

"If you're here to steal anything, you'll be thoroughly surprised to find that's impossible," she snapped.

Coulson just frowned at her accusation. She would have found the whole thing amusing if it wasn't for the situation. It was clear that he'd dealt with people like her before. That alone left her wondering why he decided now of all times to randomly contact her.

"Actually, I'm here to ensure that you're safe," he admitted, suddenly looking sheepish. Ada glared back, feeling a spark of suspicion as he held his hands up in surrender, "I just wanted to warn you that your life is about to get very weird."

"Oh, I think we're way past that," she whispered under her breath.

Luckily, he didn't catch that. She wasn't in any hurry to explain her powers. Or, the dreams that kept haunting her every night. She'd written in full detail each dream to go back and refer to them in the hopes of finding out more about those people. Though, so far, she hadn't made any headway with them.

She just couldn't shake off the feeling that those people were somehow connected with her powers. Or, the fact that they were connected with her past. Maybe they were the reason she'd been sent to the orphanage, in the first place.

"Thank you, for warning me," she finally said as Coulson rose an eyebrow.

He suddenly slid a card across the table into her waiting hands before standing up. Ada eyed the card curiously, not missing that the organization he worked for was written in bold letters on the card. An eagle in front of a shield was also posted as an image on the card.

"Give me a call, if anything changes," he told her.

Once he left, Ada stuffed the card into her pocket and tried to forget that just happened. Talking to anyone from a government organization left her feeling uneasy. Especially when it seemed like he knew her from somewhere. She shook her head at the thought, finished breakfast and cleaned up before working on the rest of her chores.

With Tony gone, Ada had taken on more responsibility than she normally would. Pepper kept insisting from time and time again that she didn't need to overwork herself. But, Ada felt the need to, especially when she saw that Pepper was also working herself to the bone trying to fix things at Stark Industries.

More importantly, Ada used work and cleaning as a way of keeping herself distracted. She just wanted to keep her mind off of the reality that came crashing down on her when Tony disappeared.

' _Ma'am, Colonel Rhodes wishes to speak with you_.'

Ada stopped in her tracks when Jarvis sent her the warning message. She knew for a fact that Rhodes had been in the Middle East looking for her father. If he was back, it could only mean good news, or the news that she had been bracing herself for since finding out he went missing.

"This is Ada speaking," she said after answering the phone.

"Ada, it's Rhodes, you might wanna stop by the airport. Happy's on his way to pick you up."

She felt her blood run cold. It only took her a few seconds to register that something serious must have happened if Rhodes wanted her to meet him at the airport. Since he had been looking for Tony, she wondered if the worst possible scenario happened.

"Is he okay?" she demanded after realizing what this must have been about.

"It's just… he's in a state of shock," Rhodes replied hesitantly.

It didn't take Ada long to get herself ready. She finished whatever she was working on and changed into fresh clothing, then met Happy outside where he was waiting in front of a car. Happy himself wasted no time in getting to the airport, driving past the band of news reporters who were already gathered outside the large plane.

"Thanks again for doing this, Happy," Ada told him after they pulled far enough away that the reporters wouldn't notice.

She knew she would get barraged by questions, no matter the circumstances. At least Happy wouldn't have to worry about driving through reckless reporters just waiting to get run over. Tony once tried to pull off that stunt when a few of them got too close to the car for comfort. She was thankful that he'd finally calmed himself down enough not to break any laws in the process of dropping her off somewhere.

"No problem, sweetheart," Happy replied with a sheepish grin.

She could see that he was just as anxious to see if Tony was okay, after everything that happened. Sure enough, the second they climbed out of the car was when the crowd of reporters turned on them. Ada had already braced herself for whatever questions would follow, knowing that they were just as eager to find out what had happened while Tony was away.

"Miss Stark, how does it feel knowing that your father is alive?"

A news reporter stood in the way, holding a microphone while the camera rolled behind him. Ada took a deep breath, having prepared herself for answers that would be enough to satisfy them for a while. While there were never enough answers to fully satisfy the media, it was better than nothing.

"It feels great," she told them with a warm smile.

She waited as the reporter jotted down notes onto a clipboard he was holding. Happy chose that moment to step in before they could ask further questions. After living with Tony for nearly nine years, Ada had gotten used to dealing with the press. He'd taught her the best way to handle them when they tried antagonizing her with endless questions.

Even after all of that, Ada couldn't hide the grin that followed when she finally spotted Tony leaning heavily against Rhodes' shoulder. Her grin only widened when Tony pushed away any attempts at receiving medical attention. Tony hated the doctors for a reason, as much as he hated government officials… actually, there were a lot of things that he hated, now that Ada thought about it.

"Hey, kiddo, glad to see you're alright," he said after finally noticing her arrival, "Pep's been crying tears of joy over here."

"Hate job hunting," Pepper rolled her eyes mockingly.

"Yeah, well, vacation's over," Tony reminded her, patting Pepper on the shoulder before letting go of Rhodes. Faster than he could react, Ada suddenly ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. It was the first time in weeks that she'd seen him and, she couldn't feel more relieved that he was okay. "What was that for?" he asked after returning the gesture.

"For not dying on me," she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.

While she meant it as a joke, she also knew full-well how his return meant to her. She truly was more relieved than ever to see him alive and well, despite everyone's speculations. He could have been through far worse than he was letting on. He was heavily bruised and looked as if he could use some medical attention, but knowing that he wanted to move forward rather than delay his return, he wouldn't seek it until the last minute.

"Well, it's good to be back," he chuckled at her response, "Alright, Rhodes, I want you to set up a press conference right now," he suddenly added to Rhodes.

For a moment, Ada blinked in confusion when she noticed that Tony was barking orders at everyone as if nothing had happened. He'd been gone for nearly a month, and he acted like it didn't affect him. Yet, she could see the haunted look in his eyes. Something had clearly happened while he was there in the Middle East, and Ada had a feeling that everyone was about to find out how much that had changed him.

…

It didn't take long for them to reach the building where the press conference was being held. A large crowd consisting of news reporters, employees and other bystanders gathered outside the room where Ada and Pepper were waiting anxiously. Tony sat on the stairs, while Ada sat beside Pepper. He was eating a cheeseburger as if it was his last meal, though given the state of things, Ada suspected that was the best meal he'd had in weeks.

Most of the news reporters had already started asking questions by the time Ada showed up. While she had been able to answer a majority of the questions that were asked, she brushed most of them off. She couldn't answer the questions that regarded Tony and his decisions revolving around the company. Those questions were for him to answer.

"Miss Potts?" Ada felt her blood run cold at the familiar tone of Coulson's voice.

She peered over her shoulder to see him offering a charming smile at Pepper.

"Hi," Pepper waved him off without even looking, "We've already been approached by the FBI, CIA and a few other agencies," she explained after Coulson offered an introduction.

Ada kept glancing at the man cautiously when she noticed him shooting her looks every now and then. It was obvious that he had more to say, but he wouldn't with Pepper around. He seemed to know better than to admit that he had already stopped by the mansion earlier that morning to talk with her. Especially with Tony close by.

"That's why I'm here," he suddenly said. "Our division works under a… much larger scale. If anything happens, please feel free to give me a call."

"I will remember that," she replied.

Pepper tried brushing off the uneasiness that followed upon Coulson's explanation. While she wasn't anything like Tony, that didn't mean she wasn't thrilled with talking to government agencies. Ada swallowed hard when Coulson threw her one last look until disappearing into the crowd. Just as he left them, Tony finally spoke up after reaching the podium.

"I never got to say goodbye to my father."

Ada looked at Tony warily when he said that. She could still remember the countless times when Tony would avoid the subject of Howard Stark. It was a strained relationship, from what she gathered. But, Tony was lucky to have known his parents at all. Ada would have given anything to know who her birth mother was, and her father.

"There's questions I would've asked him. I would've asked him how he felt about what his company did, if he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch of man we remember from the newsreels."

He paused to let this sink in. She'd always watched the newsreels that he mentioned when he wasn't around, just to get an idea of what Howard was like. She couldn't help but think that while Tony tried to claim he was nothing like Howard, they were more alike than he realized.

"I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero-accountability."

That must have been a major eye-opener. Ada swallowed hard, finding it difficult to imagine what it must have been like to see something like that in person. She watched people die in her dreams. The very people that haunted her dreams had died right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do. Things like that didn't happen to normal people, as far as she was concerned.

"Mr. Stark, what happened over there?" a news reporter asked.

"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I had more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries."

Ada's mouth fell open in utter disbelief when Tony said those final words. The room that had been stunned into silence was now abuzz with questions from hundreds of reporters asking the same questions. Tony didn't waste any time in ending things before it could get any worse, with Rhodes assuring everyone that he would receive medical attention once this was over.

She shook her head as Obadiah tried calming the crowd down by telling them that he would talk with Tony about his sudden decision. Though, Ada knew Tony better than the man realized. He wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon. Once his mind was made up, it was impossible to change.

All Ada could do now was hope that he knew what he was getting himself into.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

It was late by the time Ada had finally returned to the mansion. After dismissing more than a dozen phone calls, hopping into the shower, and changing into pajamas, she was exhausted. Tony had returned not long after she did. Though, she spent the rest of that afternoon on the cove trying to vent off her frustration and fear.

She knew he was trying to sort things out with Obadiah. The idea of them working things out though left Ada feeling uneasy. After seeing the way he ran the company and seemed so eager to get things back in order, she had a feeling Tony knew more than he was letting on. Something had changed him, while he was there in Afghanistan. Something had turned him into a different person from what she had been familiar with, and she couldn't be sure if that was a good thing.

Between that and everything else, Ada couldn't help but wonder if things would ever go back to the way they had been. She didn't miss the days when she would wake up in the orphanage. But, she couldn't shake off the feeling that things were only going to get worse. With Tony being in the state he was, she wondered how long it would take for him to actually recover from being captured. None of what had happened to him should have happened in the first place.

"Are you going to the dinner, in a few days?"

Ada nearly leaped out of her skin at the sound of Pepper's voice. She'd almost forgotten about the dinner that was taking place almost a week from now. Technically, a sticky note and a reminder from Jarvis just in case had been placed in the kitchen for safe-keeping. With everything that was going on, Ada hadn't really had the chance to think about it.

Her mind suddenly wandered back to how she would dress for the dinner. Normally, she didn't care about such affairs since Tony was usually the center of attention. Since he returned from Afghanistan, she had no doubt the media would focus more on her this time around.

 _Appearance may not mean a thing to me, but I'd rather not have them soil my image_ , she reminded herself.

"Yeah, I'll be going," she gave a nod of agreement before noticing something Pepper was trying to hide, "What's in the bag?"

Pepper did her best at hiding the brown paper bag she had wrapped up. Her hands looked as if she'd washed them a dozen times before approaching Ada. She knew that Pepper would have normally been back at her apartment at this hour, so, obviously, something was up.

"Just, a small gift your father gave me during his trip," Pepper replied, almost wrinkling her nose in disgust. If they were anything like the last gifts Tony had gotten her, Ada didn't blame her for feeling that way. Ada couldn't hide the smirk that followed when she reached her, "I'll see you tomorrow then," she added with a kiss on the forehead.

She rose an eyebrow skeptically as Pepper left her at that. Something told her Tony was down in the lab, which meant he probably wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. Once Pepper was gone, Ada returned to her room, trying to resist the urge to stop by and see what Tony was doing. Knowing Tony, he was either busy trying to fix things that hadn't been touched for weeks, or brooding over whatever happened in Afghanistan.

With a heavy sigh, Ada threw herself onto the bed and welcomed the warm comfort it provided. Not for the first time, her mind wandered over to how she would tell him about her powers. The idea suddenly left her feeling nauseous. She couldn't be sure whether he would accept her after she told him the truth. She didn't want to be treated like some kind of freak, who was destined to be locked in some kind of facility and tested on just for being different.

She tried casting the uneasy thoughts away, knowing that thinking about it wouldn't help. Whatever happened, she knew she couldn't tell him the truth. Not without things escalating to a full-blown fight, or without her fearing the worst possible outcome.

…

"Congratulations, Nadia. You're expecting a baby girl."

The woman breathed in a sigh of relief as the doctor turned away.

After months of fleeing from the hunters, she and her group had found a small village known as Rajasthan. There, they would rest for the next few months in the hopes that her unborn child would survive. The villagers had been kind enough to let them stay until they recuperated from their journey.

Nadia was exhausted from all of the running. She was certain it wasn't healthy for her unborn child either. But, they had little choice. The longer they stayed, the more danger they and the people that took them in were.

"How much longer must we keep up this running?"

The leader of their group, an elderly man with long silvery white hair, let out a sigh of frustration. His name was Thai, and he came from a long family of people born with unusual gifts. Nadia was now his eldest daughter, and she was also the only one left of his family. Losing his family had taken a toll on him. It was clearly written out on his face, and guilt suddenly stabbed at Nadia's heart. All of this just so that her little one could find a safe place to live.

"For as long as it takes," replied the gruff voice of a brother. Though they were not related by blood, Nadia had come to know him as her brother. They grew up together near a farm in France. They became good friends and protected one another. She had discovered that he could read minds, but only from a short distance. "Why can we not just strike them down? We have the power to do so," he added.

"Benoit, I understand your hostility towards the humans," Thai murmured thoughtfully. "But, we cannot persecute them. It would be an act of violence, and we are not the violent type; it would only justify what they already believe us to be." Benoit looked at him angrily, but said nothing in response. "We can only hope that one day the people of this world understand we are not a threat."

Nadia nodded in agreement, though she had her doubts. Humans were strange creatures. They lived in a world of fear and hate. She knew that it was only a matter of time before they destroyed themselves with all of their violence.

The only thing she could hope for was that her child was raised in a world where she wouldn't live in fear. Despite all of that, she knew that the child provided a future for her people. One that would clearly define whether or not they would survive.

…

Her heart was beating rapidly when she woke with a gasp. It was only seconds before her world went black when that dream occurred. The woman she had dreamed about days ago… she now knew her name. What scared Ada the most, though was how realistic those dreams were. She could still remember every vivid detail within those dreams. She not only could see the emotions written across their faces, but she could also feel them as well.

Ada found herself frowning at the thought.

Most people who had dreams that were memorable usually had a meaning to them. At least, that was what Ada liked to believe. The truth of it was, Ada had been terrified of the reality that these dreams were bringing her. People had died in her dreams. People who seemed good, and they were just struggling to survive.

Once her breathing had become steadier, Ada reached for her notebook from under the bed and started writing down in vivid detail of what she had seen. She knew that writing this down for future reference was important. If anyone asked what she had been dreaming about, at least she could explain in full detail what had happened.

About the only thing she did know was that these people needed help. It was clear they had been on the run for a long time. Nadia had lost her sister. She must have felt devastated; Ada couldn't imagine what that must feel like.

Though, if she was being honest with herself, she did know a bit of what that was like. She'd almost lost Tony. She never knew her own family, or what they were like. To grow up with no knowledge of who her family was, had always left a hole in her heart.

"Jarvis, what time is it?" Ada asked, rubbing her eyes to wipe the sleep out of them.

" _It is seven in the morning_ ," the AI replied.

Only seven in the morning. Ada let out a groan when she realized there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. Besides, with Tony being back, she had a feeling this would be the perfect opportunity to ask what had happened to him while he was in Afghanistan. His jumpy attitude and the way he talked to everyone had left her feeling worried that something serious happened.

With that thought in mind, Ada got out of bed and quickly changed. She rose an eyebrow in surprise when she noticed that Tony was awake, and Rhodes was sitting at the wet-bar in the second living room. The two were standing close together, talking in low, urgent whispers. It looked as if Tony was only half-listening, and he was bored out of his mind with whatever Rhodes was talking about.

"Hey, Ada," Rhodes greeted her after realizing they weren't alone.

Tony simply stood back when Ada hopped onto a stool to sit between them, ignoring the looks he and Rhodes gave her. She'd been to the lab enough times to know where her place was. Tony never paid much attention to it, but he did get a little concerned when people like Rhodes were there.

"Hey, Rhodes," she greeted with equal curtness, aware that whatever they were discussing had been serious, "So, you wanna tell me what really happened?" she asked Tony, already jumping into business.

"I'll see you guys later," Rhodes said, clearly not wanting any part in what they were about to discuss.

For once, Ada was grateful Rhodes had chosen not to partake in whatever Tony was about to share with her. The Colonel already seemed to know that this was something they needed to keep between them. Though, he probably also knew what had happened to Tony, and what he planned on doing about the Industries.

Tony's decision to close down the weapon's industry was something that the rest of the world had taken seriously. While Ada understood why he had made such a reckless decision, she also wanted to know what he planned on doing with the company. There was only so much one could do when the world saw Stark Industries as a weapon's company.

"You're really not gonna let this go, are you?" Tony asked, eyeing Ada seriously. She shook her head, eyes narrowing slightly as their eyes met. She was more determined than ever to get answers. Most importantly, she wanted to know how he managed to survive in Afghanistan the way he had, "This… this happened to me."

Ada could only stare at his chest in disbelief when she saw the glowing blue light. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she noticed how similar it was to the Arch Reactor. What amazed her the most, though was that she could practically feel the energy it gave off.

She hadn't missed the scars etched around his chest. Or, the fact that whoever had captured him likely left those scars. It was just another reminder of how painfully close she had gotten to losing him. She carefully reached out, watching the blue light glow ominously bright.

"Rhodey told me what happened to you," she swallowed hard; Tony didn't budge when she carefully brushed her fingers across the device, suddenly wishing that he hadn't sugarcoated it for her, "Is that really the thing that's keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart?"

"Yep. It produces a magnetic pulse that keeps the shrapnel away," he explained.

She nodded to show that she understood. The Arch Reactor had been designed as a ploy to keep the environmentalists happy. Yet, Ada could also see that it was capable of being used as a way of harnessing energy. She'd done enough research to know that such technology was possible, if it was used correctly. The problem was, anyone who heard of the Arch Reactor would think badly of it, because it was such new technology.

"So, that's the only thing keeping you alive?" she deadpanned.

There was a time when Ada had believed Tony to be invincible. He'd proven that on more than one occasion during a reckless party, or when he was drinking. Now, she was only just beginning to understand how vulnerable he was.

A shiver ran through her once more when she realized just how close she had been to losing him. Even though she never flat-out admitted it, she loved him as a father. To lose him would mean more than she could ever say out loud.

"I'll be fine, Ada," Tony reassured her after noticing how quiet she had gotten. "I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon. Believe me."

"So, the Arch Reactor… are you planning on using it in some way?" she asked hesitantly.

She couldn't help but look away, wondering just how honest he was being. After the nightmares she'd been having lately, she couldn't be so sure. With a sigh, she finally gave another nod and realized that she had to believe that Tony was right. His expression wavered slightly when she finally pulled away and stared at nothing in particular.

"Well, I figure I can make some use of the technology that helped save my life," he replied under his breath.

Ada rose an eyebrow at that. She could still recall Obadiah mentioning multiple times that the Arch Reactor was never meant to be used as anything more than a ploy to the public. Even Tony had agreed that there wasn't anything else they could utilize for other than just a publicity stunt.

"I heard from Rhodey that some machine was what helped you escape from those caves," she murmured thoughtfully after deciding to drop the subject.

Tony threw her a knowing a look and offered a sheepish smirk, "Technically, this was what I used to escape."

When he finally pulled out what appeared to be electronic blueprints across the work desk, Ada reached it and stared at the various images in surprise. She wasn't expecting to find a machine that was huge, bulky and barely looked as if it could fly on the blueprints.

"This is how you were able to escape?" she asked, glancing at Tony in surprise when he smirked slightly.

"I hardly had anything more than paperclips and rubber bands," he explained with a shrug. Ada merely rolled her eyes, knowing that he had more than just paperclips and rubber bands to help him. She suspected that the people who took him had various parts stolen. "Okay, I'm a genius who was able to utilize whatever was given to me for my survival."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," she admitted. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she glanced between the blueprints and Tony. "Is this what you had in mind when you mentioned re-imagining Stark Industries?"

Tony tilted his head to one side curiously at her question, "Something along those lines. I'm planning on keeping this one a secret. At least until I have it figured out."

She looked at Tony in surprise. She half-expected him to at least provide some sort of insight on what Stark Industries would be doing in the near future. But after seeing those blueprints, she could understand why he wanted to keep this project to himself.

"Alright," she let out a heavy sigh and straightened up.

It wasn't until she started leaving when Tony suddenly put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch.

"Ada, you know I could always use an extra hand on this project, right?" he suddenly asked.

She was caught off guard by his question. For a moment, she was tempted to say 'no' when she thought better of it. Maybe this would be a good way for her to understand what he'd been through while he was held captive.

"You have yourself a deal," she replied with a cheeky grin.

"Great; Jarvis, I'd like to open a new project called Mark II," Tony clasped his hands together once they had that established.

Ada followed Tony towards the table where a holographic image of the original suit of armor displayed the blueprints. She knew that Tony was capable of building and improving upon his original design. After the way he escaped from his captivity just days ago, it was obvious that he wanted to improve what he originally designed.

' _Would you like me to store this under the Stark Industries central database_?' Jarvis asked.

"Actually, I'm not sure who I can trust right now," Tony suddenly admitted.

Surprise swept through Ada when she realized what Tony was implying. Then she recalled how Obadiah had reacted during the press conference. His less-than-stellar reaction had left her feeling on edge around him, along the way he behaved during Tony's disappearance. She suddenly understood what Tony meant by not trusting too many people yet.

"I'm guessing this information is going to be kept confidential until further notice?" she deadpanned after noticing how Tony tensed a little.

"Well, I'd rather keep it out of nosy people like Obadiah," he pointed out. "This sticks with me… at least until I can determine whether he can be trusted."

She nodded in agreement to that, knowing it only made sense not to trust anyone entirely. It didn't take long for them to come up with a design for the suit itself. Tony came up with the color patterns; gold and red were a bit tacky for Ada's taste, but she wasn't going to complain anytime soon. She was the one who suggested he go with a sleeker design the utilized less energy, and one that could take a bullet or two. That, Tony agreed with fullheartedly.

"A suit like this is going to stand out like a sore thumb… are you sure you want something like that?" she asked warily.

 _I wouldn't want the media going after me if I had a suit like that_ , she thought with a shiver.

"You do realize this is me we're talking about, right?" Tony threw her a smirk that said it all.

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Ada merely stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms knowingly. Once they fully implemented the suit's design, Jarvis ran a 3D scan on the blueprints Tony set up so that the suit could be finished. Once they finished setting everything up for the suit in question, Ada knew that the next few weeks would be busy. She hoped that Tony knew what he was getting himself into. Building a suit meant that he would be responsible for whatever trouble it caused, and for whatever mess he started.

* * *

 **AN: So this is the beginning of the Iron Man chapters that I said I would fix and update. I'm fixing seven-ten to make them more compatible with the movie rather than what I originally had... which to my honest opinion, was crap. Hopefully this version will be more accurate and give more justice to the movie than what I first had.**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

It took more than a few hours for the two of them to design a flight stabilizer for Tony's suit. Because the technology was so new, they had to go through several test runs before finding something that worked for the suit. Tony had begun running tests on the first couple of designs with Ada watching from a distance. She was struggling not to laugh as he got his ass handed to him several times while running said tests. The lab caught on fire a few times, and Dummy was the one who usually doused the flames. Her powers could have easily done so, but she knew better than to expose herself now.

Tony didn't make things any easier by pressing the test runs. He was determined to get the suit finished sooner rather than later. With a rising violence in the Middle East, Ada couldn't necessarily blame him. It wasn't entirely surprising that he also wanted revenge on the Nine Rings as well. The people responsible for taking him had caused more than enough trauma, and it wasn't just Tony who suffered from their hands.

The best part of the test runs were the camera recordings. Ada had been busy laughing her ass off while watching Tony struggle to keep the suit from blowing up any other cars in the lab. While she was busy laughing, Pepper finally came down to the lab with a small box wrapped in brown paper and coffee for both of them. The strawberry blond looked at the lab skeptically when she noticed the various pieces scattered here and there, along with the fact that Tony was still trying to release himself from the suit.

"Let's be honest, you've seen me in a worst state," Tony stated after he finally stepped out. He threw Ada a scathing look as she finally caught her breath from laughing so hard. "And you'd think you'd at least have a little more maturity than this."

"Dad, you totally deserve getting your ass kicked," she replied cheekily.

"I do not," he retorted with equal cheekiness.

Pepper nearly rolled her eyes at their banter as she set down the paper box and their coffees with a small warning, "While I adore hearing your arguments, I thought it would be a good idea to inform you that Obadiah is here."

Ada exchanged an anxious look with Tony. Since they decided to keep his suit a secret, talking to Obadiah had been anything but easy. She knew that he was trying to figure out how Tony managed to escape from Afghanistan. Telling him the truth would just mean they had to tell him about the suit as well, and Ada suspected that was a bad call on every part.

"Give us a couple of minutes," Tony replied once he recovered from his initial surprise. "I've still gotta finish adjusting this suit before we call it a day."

"I thought you said you were done making weapons," Pepper said in an accusing tone.

She put her hands on her hips as she noticed how much more closely Ada and Tony had been working together. After everything that had happened, Ada was more than happy to spend whatever time she could with him.

"It's a flight stabilizer," Tony explained while flexing his wrists a little.

The suit itself was perfectly designed so that every aspect of it was flexible, including the fingers. Tony wanted to ensure that he could maneuver around whatever bullets were being fired at him. So when he lifted his now-gloved hand, Ada had been prepared to duck for cover. Pepper was not so fortunate. The thruster suddenly came to life, firing towards Pepper as she dove for whatever hiding place she could find.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Tony?" she cried out while Ada let out a sigh of frustration.

"Dammit dad, you should've known better than to aim it at her," she muttered after reaching the now blasted table they had been working at.

"How was I supposed to know it would randomly activate?" he countered in his defense.

Pepper just threw both of them a glare. Watching the chaos that ensued between them hadn't helped matters, and she was already pissed off enough for something they clearly weren't responsible for. Ada held back a sigh of frustration as she caught Tony looking between the two of them.

"I'll be upstairs," she sighed in frustration. "Just try not to get yourselves killed in the process of whatever you're doing."

 _Us_? _Get ourselves killed_? Ada almost scoffed at the thought in amusement. She had to admit, firing the thruster at Pepper wasn't the smartest idea Tony came up with. Fortunately, Pepper left it at that and headed for the stair without another word.

"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?" Tony suddenly asked once she was gone.

"Nope. Frankly, I'm hoping Jarvis keeps this in the records," Ada replied with a knowing look.

' _I have already secured the video footage in the database, Miss Stark_ ,' Jarvis reassured her immediately.

Ada couldn't hide the smirk that followed when Tony mumbled 'traitor' under his breath. He didn't bother saying anything though when they headed for the stairs. Pepper had been serious when she mentioned that Obadiah was on the main floor. That told her nothing good would come out of his visit.

Sure enough, when they reached the main living area, she saw Obadiah sitting at a piano playing classical music. She rose an eyebrow at the sight. Ada had seen him play the piano many times before, but it was only usually when he was in a mood. Judging from the box of pizza left on the top of the piano, she suspected it was nothing good. She glanced at Tony cautiously when he reached for the box of pizza, grabbing a slice and handing one to Ada.

"It went that bad, huh?" Tony asked once he took a bite.

"Just because I brought back pizza from New York doesn't mean it went bad," Obadiah replied.

"You usually only bring back food from another state if something went wrong," Ada pointed out.

Obadiah looked at her in surprise, though he made no comment. She couldn't shake off the feeling that he was hiding something. Each time he looked at her, it was almost as if he was scrutinizing her. She tried brushing off the uneasy thoughts and she looked down at the floor warily.

"Well, it would've gone a lot better if you were there in person," he finally rolled his eyes when Tony said something she didn't catch.

Tony was halfway finished with his slice of pizza when Obadiah gave him a stern look. She knew from experience that whenever he gave Tony a look like that, the news wasn't anything good. Ada shook her head at the thought. When it came to the company, there was little she could do about it. True, she carried Tony's last name because he adopted her, but she was nowhere near old enough to run an entire company or know anything about it.

The only reason she had knowledge on the company was because she did her own research, and because Pepper had shown her. Pepper was one of the few people who believed she was capable of so much more, if she was given the chance.

"You said I should lay low, and that's exactly what I'm doing," Tony reminded him.

Finally, he sat down on the couch while Ada stood not far away with her arms crossed. She tried assessing the situation from Obadiah's point of view. But that didn't make her feel any better when she caught him looking at her once more.

"This was a board of director's meeting, Tony," Obadiah retorted in a tone that dared him to argue, "The board is claiming that you suffered from post traumatic stress. They've filed an injunction."

That was enough for Ada's eyes to widen in alarm. Even Tony nearly dropped the pizza he was holding when he realized what Obadiah was implying. An injunction wasn't anything good. It meant they had the right to vote him out of the company and let Obadiah take over.

"A what?" Tony demanded.

"They want to lock you out," Ada whispered under her breath. Obadiah gave a gruff nod while Tony threw her a scathing look. "Despite the fact that he's become more responsible for what he does. And the fact that he was made aware of where his weapons were being shipped. It seems all you and the board are concerned about is the profit of weapons being shipped to places that want to use them for the wrong reason."

Her fists clenched at the thought of how many innocent people had been killed because of those weapons. After seeing so many people die in her dreams, the last thing she wanted was for it to happen in real life. She knew it was inevitable, but at least it could be avoided for as long as they needed it to be.

"A child doesn't necessarily have a say in the matter what the board discusses," Obadiah reprimanded her with a wave of his hand. Ada's eyes narrowed with frustration when he threw her an icy look. "You'd think you of all people should know that by now."

"Ada has as much of a say in the matter as I do," Tony suddenly jumped to her defense. Ada glanced at Tony in surprise when he stood up and joined her. "Besides, she's got part ownership in the company as well."

Obadiah just looked between the two with surprise when he realized they were standing up for each other. Even Pepper looked a little surprised at their rant. She nearly rolled her eyes and closed her laptop, setting it aside as she stood up with them.

"What are you two working on down there?" he asked after guessing this was the end of their discussion.

Ada frowned when she noticed that Obadiah had also followed them as they made their way back to the labs. The kind of information the suit had if in the wrong hands wouldn't necessarily end well for anyone. She had a feeling that if Obadiah got his hands on said information, he'd only utilize it as a weapon.

"Good night, Obadiah," Tony scoffed as he reached the stairs.

Glancing at Obadiah warily, she could still feel his gaze boring through her when she trailed after Tony.

…

Over the next few days, Tony and Ada had been working on developing the suit. She had to admit, it was nice being able to spend time with him in the labs. They actually felt like a real team rather than her sitting in the sidelines watching him. And to her surprise, Tony seemed just as happy having her by his side. Since they were working on the suit most of the time, Ada found herself keeping an eye on the tests that Tony ran to make sure the suit was fully functional before he took it out on an actual test run.

Most of the test runs had ended in miserable failure. Eventually, he finally managed to get the flight stabilizers to function properly. It would take time for him to actually fly out on the field, but he was getting close to making it a reality. She knew that Tony was more than willing to take the risks necessary to design the perfect suit.

He'd even gone out of the way to offer a suit for her when she was old enough. But, Ada wasn't in any hurry to build a suit for herself since she had her own powers to worry about. But knowing that Tony could make a real difference with his own suit meant more than she would ever admit out loud. He wanted to keep pulling off those stunts in order to make a difference to the world. Ada would never admit that she was proud of the changes he'd made for himself and for the people he cared about.

The fireman's ball was around the corner, and Ada had been getting ready for it. She finally picked out a dress that seemed appropriate for said ball, even though Tony would more than likely disapprove. It was a dark blue dress with an open back, and with straps dangling from her shoulders. She tied her hair into a neat braided bun, tucking any loose strands between her ears. Despite Tony's protests about her dress being too revealing, she found herself enjoying it as she reached the building where the ball was held.

She watched the several people that were gathered in small groups, either talking or laughing at whatever jokes were made. Music played in the background, and a few people had taken to the floor to dance. Ada glanced over her shoulder when she noticed a couple of news reporters asking how the company was coping with Tony's sudden change in direction.

A few people had been complaining about the company changing too much and too quickly. While a small part of her understood where they were getting at with their complaints, Tony's decision made sense. He had been running research on where the weapons were being shipped off to. And much to Ada's surprise, most of them had been shipped off to areas where gang and criminal activity was high.

With a sigh, Ada walked further into the room and debated whether she should mingle with these guests. Since she never had the chance to ask someone on a date, she doubted any boys were willing to talk to her. With Tony's reputation as a playboy, and his over protectiveness, she knew the odds of meeting someone were slim. Most of the reporters who liked to stalk her had been thoroughly surprised she didn't follow in her adoptive father's footsteps. Then again, she was so different from Tony that they finally decided to leave her be.

What did catch her by surprise was seeing Coulson in the same room, talking to Tony. She almost laughed when she noticed Tony looked like he was trying to find an escape route. His lack of acceptance towards the government only added to the humor of the situation when Coulson remained persistent. Seeing him again left her wondering whether or not the government caught on to his plans. Coulson hadn't seemed like the type who would figure something like that out so quickly. Then again, there was so little she knew about the older man.

Everything had been going smoothly until Tony glanced in Ada's direction. She frowned upon seeing his pleading look, until she noticed who he was staring at. She glanced at Pepper in surprise when the older woman finally arrived. More people were looking at her when she made her entrance.

"Hey, Pepper," she greeted the older woman as Pepper joined her.

She had to admit, Pepper looked beautiful. The strawberry blond wore a green dress, the very one Tony had gotten her for Christmas a few years ago. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, much like how Ada had tied hers into a braided ponytail. The only difference was that Pepper had put on a few pieces of jewelry. In all, she was dressed for the occasion.

"Hi, Ada, how are you doing?" Pepper asked, eyeing Ada in surprise when she noticed her dress, as well.

"Never better," Ada replied with a shrug, trying to hide her sheepish grin when she glanced in Tony's direction. Tony was still giving her that pleading look, clearly not enjoying the conversation he was having with Coulson, "Are you enjoying the party, tonight?" she asked, trying to keep things casual.

"Of course. Though watching Tony get harassed by agents is priceless," she said while struggling not to laugh.

By now, Ada was trying to smother her own laughter at the sight of Tony glaring at them. Finally, he managed to push Coulson away and made his way towards them, the accusing look never leaving when he noticed they were both struggling not to laugh.

"What are you two laughing about?" he demanded.

"You," Ada replied without hesitation.

Tony just stuck his tongue out at her, which resulted in a fit of laughter seconds later. She'd gotten so used to Tony's behavior that this was almost second-nature, to her. Though, after everything that had happened, it was nice to just laugh for a change.

"Wow, don't you look beautiful," he said to Pepper.

"Well, thank you, considering it's a dress that you bought for me," she replied cheekily.

Ada shook her head at the sight, deciding to give them some alone time. Whether they would admit it or not, she knew that Tony and Pepper had feelings for each other. Pepper was like the support Tony needed when things went wrong. But, she was also so much more than that.

She walked over to the balcony, where she could lean over the rail and think of everything that had happened. With the stars shining brightly overhead, Ada couldn't help but admire the beauty of the landscape before her. She always considered herself lucky – even though she didn't know her mother, or her father by birth, she had a family that cared about her. Tony had given her everything she wanted, and, so much more.

Often times, she thought of whether or not her mother was alive. If she was, she wondered if her mother had known this was the kind of life she would grow up with. That in the end, maybe giving her up had been the best option. She closed her eyes at the thought, deciding that it was better not to think about it. Perhaps life worked out the way it did for a reason. She certainly was better off with Tony, and, nothing would ever change that.

"Excuse me." Ada snapped her eyes open, turning to see a young man around her age joining her. She rose an eyebrow upon seeing his look of embarrassment – he was clearly hoping for a better impression than that, "I didn't recognize who you were, at first."

What caught her off guard was that British accent of his, and the way he eyed her up and down. Ada found herself staring at him for a few seconds, taking everything in. With a black suit, red tie, and well-kept dark brown hair that matched his eyes, she realized for the first time how different he looked from everyone else.

"Forgive me for staring," he quickly apologized after realizing how awkwardly quiet it had gotten, "My name is Emmett, Emmett Carhall," he introduced himself. "And you must be…"

"Ada," she introduced herself with a handshake, feeling heat rise to her cheeks upon meeting his warm gaze, "Ada Stark."

"So, you're Mr. Stark's daughter," he mused thoughtfully. "I'm surprised you don't have a date."

His question was enough for Ada to swallow and look down uncertainly.

"I usually scare most of the guys who try and court me," she admitted sheepishly, "Between that, and my father being overprotective, it's not the best combination for finding a date."

Emmett offered a sympathetic smile after realizing the reason behind her uneasiness. Truthfully, she'd had plenty of awful experiences with guys. Most of them consisted of guys courting her just because she was Tony Stark's daughter. They tried asking her on a date in the hopes of getting free money. Aside from that, Ada had learned to avoid people like that. Tony usually dealt with the more persistent bunch, often to the point where they would never step foot anywhere near the mansion again.

"I apologize," he said when he noticed how quiet she had gotten. Ada found herself leaning into the railing once more, crossing her arms as she studied the stars above her. The silence that followed was strangely comfortable. Ada couldn't help but glance at Emmett self-consciously when he too leaned into the railing beside her. "They must not have realized what they were missing out on."

It was at that point when Ada felt heat rising to her cheeks once more. His compliment was something she didn't expect. Few people saw her as anything more than Tony Stark's daughter. That was part of the reason she graduated early from school. Having dealt with the criticism they gave her and comparing her to Tony, Ada realized she wasn't going to gain their respect anytime soon. Not unless she did something drastic to change their minds, in a positive way.

"When I was little, I'd always sneak out and stare at the stars," she murmured thoughtfully, gazing up at the sky, "I was adopted by Tony, and I never knew my real mother or father… I guess looking at the stars makes me wonder if they're doing the same thing."

"The stars are quite lovely to admire," Emmett nodded in agreement. Though, Ada hadn't missed the fact that his eyes were on her, "Would you care for a dance?"

For a moment, Ada didn't know how to answer his question. It came so suddenly that her mind had to process the fact that someone had actually asked her something. She had to swallow the lump forming in her throat as she finally held out her hand, offering a warm smile as their eyes met once more.

"You sure you want to be seen dancing with a Stark? It might start stirring questions you might not be ready for," she warned him knowingly.

The media would go crazy over something like this. Worst still, there was no telling what Tony would do if he caught them together.

"There isn't anyone I would rather want to be seen with," he replied without missing a beat.

It took a few seconds for his words to register, and, Ada found her heart fluttering with joy. It was the first time anyone ever made her feel as though they appreciated her. They reached the other side of the room where they could avoid the curious eyes of onlookers.

For the first time since she got adopted, she actually felt _normal_. Emmett's smile was irresistible, as Ada soon found out. His laughter and the way he spoke so smoothly only left her wanting more. She realized with a start that they had a lot in common. They spent most of that night just talking or dancing.

Neither were aware of the fact that someone had been watching them. Of course, Ada found herself not bothering to care. She couldn't help but wonder if this was what really felt like to actually want someone. To actually feel as if someone accepted her for who she was, and not because of her family name.

There were so many times when she thought of how life had been at the orphanage. At her old home, she'd had Heather, Maggie and the rest of the caretakers looking after her. Now, she had a place that she could call home, and a father who cared about her. Now, she wouldn't want her life to be any different.

…

"So, who's your friend?"

Ada rolled her eyes at the question Tony brought up at breakfast. The question was expected, after the party had gone so well for her. Emmett had left his number and a chance for them to meet up again, when the party was over.

"Relax, dad. He's just a friend," she replied after taking a bite out of her toast, "A friend who offered me a dance, last night."

She let out a sigh of contentment as she pictured his brown eyes searching hers. Nothing could have prepared her for the rush of joy she felt when they talked, or how he swooned her with his smooth talk and easygoing attitude.

"So, he's not anything else?" Tony asked, clearly growing more suspicious over her odd behavior.

She'd never acted this way around any guy, let alone a complete stranger. No thanks to Tony's overprotective behavior, she'd never known what it was like to date anyone, before. That familiar sense of defiance suddenly came rushing back. She _wanted_ to know what it was like, and, to rebel against whatever he said.

"Seriously?" she groaned after realizing where Tony was getting at, with this, "That's the last thing on my mind, right now!"

Truthfully, she couldn't get him out of her mind. Between that and the butterflies in her stomach, Ada didn't know what was worse. The last thing she needed, though, was an overprotective father questioning her every motive.

"Alright, I'm just sayin', you need anyone to shake him off and I'll be there." Ada almost laughed at that, knowing full-well Tony would send their sorry ass to prison if anyone tried taking advantage of her, "I'll be in the lab if you need me."

Relief swept through Ada when he left it at that, taking breakfast with him down to the lab. She knew he'd bring it up again, but, she couldn't help but let her mind wander back to Emmett. She had a feeling that they would be seeing each other again, more often than not. And, whether Tony liked it or not, this was something that _she_ wanted.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Ada couldn't help but let out a sigh of contentment as she returned to the mansion from her date with Emmett. The whole afternoon had been spent just getting to know one another. She'd quickly learned that Emmett and his father had moved from London after his father was given a promotion at his job to the United States. They had been living in the United States for nearly three years now, and Emmett kept admitting how different everything was from what he was used to.

His presence had left her heart fluttering with a new sense of freedom and joy that she hadn't felt before. She wasn't sure how to describe the rush of emotions he sent her whenever they were together. The only thing she did know was that she didn't want it to end.

Tony wasn't going to be happy when he found out that she was dating someone. Heck, he wasn't happy when any boy attempted to flirt with her. She needed to figure out how to break the news to him while he was working on the suit. At least that way he would be distracted enough that he wouldn't hunt Emmett or his father down.

With that thought in mind, she made her way back to the mansion to meet up with Tony. He'd been working most of the night after the fireman's ball was over. While he wasn't happy that she had spent most of the evening with Emmett, he hadn't made too many complaints after leaving. Which told her that he was busy working on the suit again.

Carefully, she reached the stairs to hear a stream of curses coming from Tony. Ada nearly rolled her eyes when she reached the bottom to see him repairing one of his gloved hands. The moment he heard footsteps approaching was when he raised said gloved hand in her direction.

"Shoot me, and it's the last thing you'll do," she snapped as Tony lowered his hand and stared at her for a few seconds. "I thought we were past the first phase?"

"Thrusters started malfunctioning on me," he complained while adjusting a screw or two, "Once I'm finished adjusting this, I can take the suit out for an official test run."

That was enough for Ada to narrow her eyes. After watching Tony get his ass kicked by the suit multiple times during the first few hundred test runs, she wasn't sure if an actual test run was a good idea. She was tempted to point this out when she decided against it. He would figure out for himself whether he was ready or not.

"Dad, you can't possibly be serious?" Ada asked incredulously. Despite all of the test runs they made, it seemed he wasn't making any headway to getting the suit to function properly out on the field. "We've gone over the calculations over a dozen times, and each one ended with you getting your ass kicked by the thrusters."

She added the last part with a roll of her eyes, knowing that he wouldn't likely listen to her warning. Ada had been there each time he failed miserably at getting the suit to fly for more than five minutes at a time. He'd made adjustments to the thrusters to make it so that they would function while he was in the upper atmosphere. But if he made one tiny miscalculation while in the field, the results could have deadly consequences.

"Rome wasn't built in one day," he pointed out without missing a beat. Ada's frown turned into a scowl as she crossed her arms and glared at him. "Come on, kiddo. I would've thought you of all people would be excited to see the old man take the suit out for a spin."

"I would be… if I knew for sure you weren't going to get yourself killed in the process," she retorted. Tony let out a sigh of frustration when he realized where she was getting at with her accusation. "Dad, I nearly lost you once… I don't know if my heart could take losing you again."

Tony blinked a few times and suddenly pried off his gloves, setting them on the desk beside her. Ada stiffened in surprise when he finally pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping his arms around her protectively. For a moment, she thought of struggling free from his strong grip when she realized this was his way of comforting her. As strange as it was, she found herself relishing the moment they had together.

"Ada, I'm not going anywhere," he reassured her. "I've already promised you that nothing's gonna happen to me."

After what happened in Afghanistan, Ada found that very hard to believe. But she accepted his plea with a simple nod, knowing that arguing would just make things worse. Besides, he did have a valid point. The only way they were going to confirm whether or not the suit was ready was by taking it out for a test flight out in the field.

Once that was established, Tony chose one specific course. In hindsight, Ada knew that it was a risk to go out into the air force with so many fighter jets in the same area. It was occupied military space, so they would see the suit as nothing more than a threat. Tony didn't seem to care though. He'd set the course mostly because it was being raided at the moment by armed militants, and he was determined to make a difference with the suit.

That left Ada taking a seat at the main console where she would direct him if there were any threats in the area. She chewed the bottom of her lip anxiously as she had Jarvis run scans on his vitals during the main test run. It was a tense moment for everyone when he finally took off into the air.

She could see everything he saw through the mask he wore thanks to the high tech installed in the lenses. Ada found herself watching the screen carefully as he flew higher into the air.

"Dad, are you online?" she suddenly asked through her earpiece.

There was a moment's pause before she heard a breathy response, telling her that he was just enjoying the moment of being in the air, "Yeah."

"Try not to do anything too stupid while you're there," she rolled her eyes when images of the small town called Gulmira appeared on the screen.

Old looking buildings worn down by the elements could be seen scattered around the area. It was clear that the people of this town hadn't been able to repair damaged buildings for quite some time. Ada frowned at the thought. When Tony said how bad things had been in the middle east, she didn't realize it was this bad. She watched through narrowed eyes when the town became clearer. Innocent families were being forced out of their homes by the raiders.

A father who had been protecting his wife and his son was being pried away from them. Swallowing hard at the sight, the father was forced to stand against a wall while his wife and son were taken to the other side of the town, forced to watch as the raiders lined up all of the older men. It was hard to watch. After having seen dozens of people suffer in her dreams, Ada had seen this happen enough times to know what the end results would be if someone didn't intervene.

Luckily, they did have someone on their side. Just when the boy was ripped from his father by the terrorists, the suit suddenly came crashing down on the town. When he finally landed and turned to face the terrorists, they had their guns turned on the citizens.

"Just make sure that you focus your fire on the terrorists," she said through the earpiece.

"Yeah, I got it," Tony reassured her as he aimed his gloved hand towards the terrorists in question.

Just as they were about to fire their guns, Tony blasted at the terrorists. Ada let out a sigh of relief when they dropped to the ground dead seconds later. The boy ran after his father, giving him a tight embrace after realizing that they had been freed.

Once he did that, he walked over to the wall where the terrorists had the father pinned against. One of the terrorists had been cowardly enough to hide themselves behind said wall, hoping to avoid the same fate as the others. Ada watched through narrowed eyes when Tony suddenly stuck his arm through the wall and pulled the terrorist out in the process. She knew that Tony could have just as easily finished it right then and there, but it was clear he had other ideas in store for the asshole.

"He's all yours," he stated after dropping the terrorist in front of the citizens gathered around a semi-circle.

"Not a bad way to prove they have a voice," she remarked thoughtfully. She was about to say something else when she heard a loud smack from what sounded like a missile. Ada's eyes widened in alarm when she recognized the sound of a Jericho missile. Tony had been working on it for a few months before finally releasing it to the public – that was what his weapon's demonstration had been about. "Dad, are you alright?"

Tony didn't answer. He'd landed on the ground and was now glaring at the missile launcher that stood before him. They were preparing to fire it again when he suddenly aimed a missile of his own towards the launcher, causing it to explode. Relief swept through Ada when Tony picked himself back up and flew out of range from the missiles, but not without destroying them to prevent them from causing further damage.

"Well, that was oddly satisfying," he spoke up. Ada nearly rolled her eyes at the coyness of his voice. "I always forget how exciting blowing stuff up can be."

"Just tell me that you're still out of range from the radar?" she asked after pinching the bridge of her nose.

"No offense Ada, but I think I've got that part covered," he replied cheekily.

Not for the first time, Ada scowled and crossed her arms in annoyance when she noted how cocky he was being. Tony did know what he was doing, but he'd asked her to keep an eye on whatever popped up on the radar. And he was being an ass about it. It wasn't until hearing Tony's phone ring that Ada looked up in alarm. She wouldn't have been surprised if someone from the military was able to pick up on the suit. Which told her that the person calling was someone they both knew all too well.

"Tony?" Sure enough, the sound of Rhodes' voice echoed through the earpiece.

"Sorry, who is this?" Ada resisted the urge to let out a sigh of frustration when Tony tried to ignore the fact that he was caught red handed by Rhodes.

"It's Rhodes."

 _Under the radar, huh_? she thought with another roll of her eyes. _Tony's going to get himself shot down for being such an idiot_. Rhodes wouldn't pull off that kind of a stunt, but there was only so much he could do to protect Tony from getting caught by the military.

"Sorry, hello?"

"I said it's Rhodes."

He was getting frustrated now. Ada wanted nothing more than to knock some sense into Tony's head before Rhodes decided to take things into his own hands. He didn't know about the suit, and it was likely that if the military did find it on the radar, they would see it as a threat.

"Speak up, please."

"What the hell is that noise?"

Ada frowned when she realized that he'd picked up on the sound of wind rushing past Tony's suit. He was flying at a rate that would cause the wind to howl around him, making it difficult but not impossible to understand who was talking to him.

 _We really need to design a soundproof armor_ , she told herself. Or a better means of communication for the suit.

"I'm driving with the top down," Tony easily lied, "Ada's with me." Narrowing her eyes, Ada silently prayed that Tony wouldn't drag her into this mess. Rhodes was already pissed off enough with Tony's antics; she didn't want to make things any worse. "Say hi, Ada."

She fought back a heavy sigh of frustration, knowing it was too late to crawl back out of the lab now, "Hey, Rhodey."

"Hey, Ada," Rhodes replied while trying to hide the surprise from his voice. Though, it sounded as if he was more annoyed than surprised. "Tony, I need your help right now."

"Funny how that works, huh?"

 _Don't do or say anything stupid_ , Ada silently begged.

"Yeah… Speaking of funny, we've got a weapons depot that was just blown up a few clicks from where you were being held captive."

Ada's eyes went wide at the mention of the place where Tony had been held captive. She should have known that was the main reason he wanted to go to Gulmira. He didn't have any other alternatives other than to take down the enemies that had captured him in the first place. While she couldn't blame Tony for wanting to pull off that kind of a stunt, it was also stupid and risky. Getting caught by the government meant that he could just as easily be arrested for interfering with the military. He would easily weasel his way out of a lawsuit, but he'd also end up making a lot of enemies with the military in the process of doing so.

"Well, that certainly does sound interesting, doesn't it?" Ada retorted dryly.

She held up a little notepad that read, ' _I know why you chose it_ ' across the page to the camera. When Tony saw it, she heard him scoff in annoyance, though he made no comment on her accusation. He wasn't going to make that confrontation any easier.

"Well," Tony started as he tried formulating some kind of excuse. All the while, Ada noticed that he sounded as if he was gasping for air in the process. She knew Rhodes would catch on quickly enough, "That's kind of a hot spot. Looks like someone stepped in and did your job for you, huh?"

"Why do you sound out of breath, Tony?"

"I'm not… I was just jogging in the canyon."

By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh at Tony's poor excuse for a lie. She couldn't believe that he of all people would forget his original story. Then again, he was already feeling the adrenaline from flying the suit.

"I thought you were driving?" Rhodes questioned.

She could hear the skepticism in his voice, telling her that he didn't quite believe Tony's tall tale.

"We had been driving just a few seconds ago," she quickly spoke up before Tony could continue making things worse, "But we decided to stop by the canyon and go for a quick run. It was my idea."

"Yeah, what she said," Tony put in.

"You sure you don't have any tech in that area I should know about?" Rhodes demanded with growing irritation.

Ada had to admit, she was impressed with how patient he could be when it came to Tony Stark of all people. Regardless, there was only so much she could say to keep defending Tony.

"Nope," Tony quickly answered.

"Okay, good. Because I'm staring at one right now, and it's about to be blown to kingdom come."

The sarcasm in Rhodes' voice was enough for Ada to stare at the screen in alarm when she noticed two jets flying near the suit.

"Dammit Rhodey, do not engage with the suit!" she snapped through the earpiece. She quickly turned the earpiece connected to Rhodes off and tried alerting Tony to the fact that the jets were locked onto the suit, "Dad, the jets are locked onto your suit, you need to use evasive maneuvers now!"

"I know, can you hack into the system somehow to disarm them?" Tony's voice sounded in a rush of panic, and Ada bit back the urge to make a nasty retort when she realized what he was implying.

"Dad, you do realize just how illegal that is, don't you?" she fired back. "Catch one of the jets and throw them off course without hurting the pilot; I'll see what I can do about the other jet."

To her relief, Tony didn't bother arguing when he saw some logic in her statement. One of the jets had already fired missiles in his direction, but he was quickly able to shake them off by rolling in the air. Another suddenly slammed into the tail of his suit, causing temporary damage to the system.

"Shit!" he swore under his breath. Ada let out a huff of frustration when she spotted him finally reaching one of the jets. They were still flying at a speed that could easily out maneuver the suit, but he managed to catch the bottom of one of the jets so that they couldn't spot him. "What are you doing?" he asked after noticing that she had been silent throughout his ordeal.

"I'm giving Rhodey a call," she snapped. "There's no way I can hack into the Air Force without getting us into further trouble, and he'll be able to call off the attack."

"Tell me there's a better option?" Tony asked through gritted teeth.

"Do you have any other brilliant ideas? I'm all ears!"

"Hello?" Ada held back a sigh of relief at the sound of Rhodes' voice just seconds later.

"Hey, Rhodey," she replied in the most pleasant tone she could muster; she knew they were both in for an earful once this was over, "It's Tony."

"What?"

She could practically hear the confusion in Rhodes' voice, so she left it to Tony to explain himself. He got himself into this mess, he could easily get himself out of it by telling the truth.

"I'm sorry," Tony finally had the balls to apologize, "It's me. You asked. What you're asking about is me."

 _For God's sake Tony, you could at least be a little more specific_! Ada wanted to shout, though she kept it to herself.

"No." At that point, Rhodes was beyond pissed with Tony for letting it get this far. Ada wasn't surprised to hear him struggling to maintain his temper around the genius. "See, this isn't a game. You do not send civilian equipment into my active war zone. You too, Ada. Do you understand that?"

"Rhodey, it isn't a piece of equipment!" Ada quickly explained before Tony could make things worse.

"I'm in it!" Tony finally yelled at him when he had enough, "It's a suit!" By now, Ada could practically picture Rhodes' jaw dropping in disbelief when he realized what Tony was implying, "It's me!"

"Rhodey, you got anything for me?" Ada frowned when she heard what she assumed was one of the pilots on the other line.

The jet Tony had been clinging onto suddenly began rolling around to throw him off. Ada's stomach dropped as she noticed that there was only so much Tony could do before he was thrown off and see as nothing more than a target by the pilots.

"Rhodey, please tell me that you're doing something about this?" Ada suddenly asked when she realized that the jet was losing control.

When he didn't answer, Ada looked at the screen warily as she watched Tony fly into one of the wings of the jet, causing it to crack in half and tumble down below. Ada bit back a groan of frustration when she realized that the pilot was struggling to maintain control over his jet. It began flipping out of control, spiraling at a faster rate than anyone could handle.

"Shit!" Tony cursed when the pilot suddenly ejected himself out of the spiraling jet.

"Tell me the pilot has a working chute?" Ada asked anxiously. She knew her heart wouldn't be able to take it if she or Tony were responsible for someone's death. Especially when they had been doing the right thing. When he continued falling without activating his chute, Ada realized that something was horribly wrong, "Dad, something's wrong with his chute."

"I've gotta go help him," Tony replied, suddenly adding strength to his thrusters to catch up with the flailing pilot.

Ada squeezed her eyes shut as she silently prayed that Tony would reach the pilot in time. It didn't take long for her to hear the sound of a chute opening, and she opened her eyes in time to see that the pilot had finally released his chute. Ada let out a sigh of relief when she realized that he'd been able to reach the pilot in time.

"Tony?" Rhodes' voice sounded through the phone suddenly, causing Ada to blink in surprise. "Ada, are you still there?"

"Yeah," both Tony and Ada replied at the same time, "Thanks," Tony added.

Rhodes let out a sigh of relief once he was sure that Tony was okay. After that incident, Ada couldn't blame him for his concern. She was touched by it though, considering Tony had been acting like a complete asshole just minutes ago.

"Oh my God. You crazy son of a bitch," Rhodes chuckled in disbelief, "You owe me a plane. You know that, right?"

Ada couldn't help but laugh at that as Tony shook his head in amusement, "Yeah, well, technically he hit me first."

"So, does this mean you're planning on stopping by to see what he's working on?" Ada asked curiously.

She knew that Tony had wanted Rhodes to see the suit for himself to see how he would react to it. Now that he had a clear line of sight on what the suit was capable of, maybe he would be willing to stop by for a visit. Though, she had a feeling Rhodes was going to have his hands full trying to explain this to the press.

"No," Rhodes replied reluctantly, "The less I know, the better. Now, what am I supposed to tell the press?"

"Training exercise," Ada suggested. "Isn't that the usual bullshit you come up with when something goes wrong?"

"I'm afraid it won't be that simple," Rhodes pointed out while Tony mumbled something under his breath about Ada watching her language.

Ada wasn't surprised with that answer. Once he hung up, Tony finally returned to the lab after flying for a few more minutes. Relief swept through Ada when Tony reached the landing pad where the suit would be taken off. It was still a tricky process since it was in the beginning stages, but once Tony figured got through the first few roadblocks, he'd get in and out of the suit with ease.

"Tell me just how damn amazing that was?"

"It was pretty awesome," Ada nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I was, wasn't I?"

The smugness in his voice was enough for Ada to roll her eyes in annoyance. She loved Tony, but there were times when she wanted to slap some sense into him. Once he reached the pad, the robotic arms began dismantling the suit, and Tony started struggling from their quick movements.

"Hey!" he yelped when one of the machines tugged a little harder than he liked at an arm piece.

Ada had to fight back a laugh as she sat back and watched. She knew that this was all a learning process for Tony and the AI.

"It is a tight fit, sir," Jarvis told him.

"Dad, you're just making it worse by struggling with the machine," Ada finally pointed out after watching a few more seconds.

"Just… just try to be gentle with it, okay?"

Rolling her eyes once again, Ada tapped her fingers absentmindedly on the table as she thought of how Tony was going to deal with this from now on. He knew how to handle machinery on a daily basis. But letting machinery take his suit off was an entirely different story.

"You're the one who asked me to come up with a design that would take the suit off effectively and without damaging the system," she reminded him. "It's going to take time for you to get used to the feeling of all that machinery poking at you."

"Please, try not to move sir," Jarvis scolded Tony as he continued his struggling.

"What's going on here?"

Both Ada and Tony froze at the sound of Pepper's voice. She turned to see Pepper staring at the scene in confusion and concern. Tony's expression was priceless – Ada knew in that moment that he was trying to come up with a laundry list of excuses as to why he was in that position in the first place.

"Let's face it," Tony started while trying to maintain his composure, "This is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."

Ada grimaced as she recalled the many times Tony would bring women home to the mansion after one of his many parties. He was right about that – Pepper had caught him doing far worse than what he was doing now.

Pepper wasn't satisfied with that response though. Her eyes narrowed with worry when she finally noticed the damage his suit had taken during his 'test run'. Ada swallowed hard when she realized that Pepper's eyes had finally taken in the extent of what Tony was putting himself through.

"Are those bullet holes?" she demanded.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

They spent the next few hours explaining to Pepper what the suit was for. She'd asked how Tony even came up with the concept of the newly dubbed 'Iron Man' suit. He went back to how he designed a suit similar to the new one back in Afghanistan, and he quickly put in that he wanted to make a difference to the world. The problem was, Pepper didn't buy any of it. She wasn't happy when she found out that Tony was putting his life in danger.

Not only was he doing that, but he'd also lied to Pepper, and he'd dragged Ada into his mess. Ada hadn't pointed out that she didn't want a suit built for herself yet. She knew that Pepper would eventually come to see that Tony was making the right choices. He really was trying to make a difference with that suit. By ending the weapon's industry at Stark Industries, he paved a new path that led to helping future generations in the energy industry. And the Iron Man suit would replace what he lost in the weapon's industry.

A few days had passed since that incident. More and more news stories were being broadcasted about the Iron Man suit. The public was going nuts over the stories with people trying to figure out who was behind the suit, and whether said suit was a threat or not. Ada had a feeling that the more people who found out about the suit, the higher chances Tony had of being caught. Though, she also had a feeling that was exactly what he wanted.

 _He's always been a fan of being on the spotlight_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, is your father home?"

She muted the television after hearing her phone ring. She hadn't even realized she had taken it with her, until then. With all that was happening, Ada just wanted a little mind-numbing fun from whatever crap she could find on the television. Of course, luck was never on her side when it came to that.

"No… are you outside?" she asked, switching the channel to a live security feed.

Not for the first time, she silently thanked herself for having the place rigged with cameras. Tony had taken on his own security measures, but, Ada was the one who made sure that all sides of the mansion were under constant surveillance. She wasn't surprised to find Emmett standing at the front entrance, eyes narrowed slightly when he realized that he was being recorded. She couldn't hide the small smirk that followed as she let him in, standing up in the process.

"Your father takes security far too seriously," he complained once he was inside.

"Clearly, you've never had to deal with the media," she rolled her eyes, "Or, the average civilian who might try and break in for an easy buck."

There was plenty of technology in the mansion that was worth more than the average minimum wage job. So, it only made sense to add extra precaution. Besides, Ada didn't feel like dealing with the media; they had a tendency to follow the moves of Tony Stark on a daily basis, and that included anything she did.

She'd quickly learned how to deal with the media when she was younger. They always tried pointing out whatever flaws she made, which was just another reason why she hated them so much. But, she hated it more so because people were so quick to judge her based on what Tony did when they were around.

They talked for what felt like hours. Not for the first time, Ada found herself admiring Emmett's personality. His charm and the way he seemed to understand what she was talking about helped. With Tony, it was different. She always knew how to keep the conversation going as far as technology was concerned.

It was late by the time they had finished. Ada hadn't even realized how much time passed. They'd started walking along the beach as they watched the sunset. She loved watching the sunset; the brilliant display of red, gold and orange that streaked across the sky reflected on the ocean. There was something almost profound, about a sunset and a sunrise. The end of one day, and the beginning of a new day. Emmett was probably the only other person she had ever talked to about that, and the only one to show that he actually cared.

Emmett raised an eyebrow in surprise when her phone suddenly went off again. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Ada answered the phone, knowing that with Tony acting as 'Iron Man', there was no telling what would happen. She had agreed to work with him so long as he stayed safe. Though, she realized with a start that 'safe' was a relative term when it came to harboring a suit like the one they'd worked on together.

"Ada, where are you?" Pepper's worried voice sounded on the other end.

"I'm at the mansion with Emmett. Why?" she asked, glancing at Emmett as she noticed him staring at the ocean.

"Okay, Ada. I'm going back to the mansion in a few minutes with Agent Coulson," Pepper told he. Ada's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of Coulson. He had been investing a lot of time with the family since Tony's miraculous return, telling her there was more going on than she realized. "Something's gone wrong."

She hung up before Ada could ask more questions. It didn't take Ada long to guess that whatever happened had something to do with Tony. Between his suit, Obadiah's message with the board and everything else, Ada couldn't help but worry that something would go horribly wrong.

"Emmett, you better get going," she warned him, knowing the last thing she wanted was to get him involved.

He grabbed hold of her arm, a worried look clouding his eyes.

"What about you?" he asked.

A shiver ran through her at the coldness of his voice. She knew when Pepper was worried about what had happened at the company, it was something worth investigating.

"I can take care of myself, Emmett, trust me," she reassured him.

His eyes were dark, and as she tried to control the anger in her voice, Ada noticed with a start that the waves were beginning to churn more violently. Emmett himself stared at the waves as well, not missing the fact that this wasn't a natural occurrence.

The waves finally stopped churning when Emmett relaxed his grip, letting go. She breathed out a sigh of relief when he left without another word. If he caught her controlling the waves, she would have never heard the end of it. She just hoped that she could make up for it. For now, she needed to figure out what was going on with the company, and Pepper. If her theory was right, she had no doubt that Obadiah was behind this mess.

Luckily, Pepper herself was waiting on the rocky bluff. Ada wasted no time in joining the strawberry blond and Coulson in the car just a few minutes later once she reached them. A few other agents were already parked in the lot, awaiting Coulson's orders. Judging from the looks written across their faces, Ada had no doubt this was worse than she could have imagined.

"Take her to safety," Coulson ordered one of his men.

Ada was about to protest when the man in question suddenly grabbed her arm. Pepper just eyed both Coulson and the agent in question before getting into the car. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Ada realized that fighting back wasn't exactly her best option. She had no idea whether or not she should trust these people. Tony's words kept rushing back as she remembered his lack of trust in government agencies.

The man in question who'd taken the driver's seat was tall, and muscular. What caught Ada's attention was the spiky blond hair and blue eyes, though. She tried ignoring the look he was giving her when she climbed into the back seat, all-too-aware that they were likely going to some safehouse.

"Exactly where the hell are you taking me?" she demanded.

She didn't miss the fact that he'd started driving in and out of traffic. Ada winced when she noticed he was breaking every speed limit possible. He made Tony look like a saint when it came to driving.

"Somewhere safe," he replied without missing a beat.

Whatever was going on here, Ada wanted no part in it. She was annoyed enough that these people were treating her like some kid. True, she was only fourteen, but, she'd grown up mostly around adults. Even the teachers at her old school had admitted that she was intelligent beyond her age.

What bothered her the most was the fact that this guy could easily kill her, if he wanted to. Though, she had a feeling he wouldn't, if he was smart. Anything to avoid a lawsuit on his sorry ass.

Ada crossed her arms, glaring out the window as they came closer to what looked like a major underground city. She frowned when she noticed the city itself looked like it was heavily guarded. Her frown deepened as she wondered where they were. Clearly, there was more to this agency than meets the eye.

"Welcome to SHIELD," the agent said once he pulled to a stop.

"SHIELD?" Ada repeated.

It was only after she climbed out of the car that she remembered what Coulson told her. She realized with a start that SHIELD was just an acronym for Strategic Homeland Intermission End Logistics Division. Somehow, the name felt as if it fit. The agent in question just smirked as an African American man wearing a leather coat and eye patch approached them.

His appearance was more intimidating than she expected. Ada swallowed hard, suddenly wishing that a hole would open up and swallow her. Something about this man sent shivers through her. She wondered if this was the man that Coulson worked for.

"Welcome, Miss Ada Stark," he greeted her with a handshake. To her surprise, he didn't sound nearly as intimidating as he looked, albeit he had a firm grip like the agent standing beside her, "I see you've already met Agent Clint Barton."

He nodded to the agent standing beside her. Barton's expression was impossible to make out during the initial greeting. She suspected he wasn't any happier with the situation they were in than she was. Then again, he'd likely already dealt with this kind of situation before.

"Who the hell are you?" Ada demanded, narrowing her eyes, "And, what the hell is all of this?"

What she really wanted to know was why SHIELD wanted her. Tony's warning still rang in the back of her mind. He might have been right, after all. Given how government agencies worked, and everything else, she knew she shouldn't have trusted them right away.

"Let's talk, inside," he replied, gesturing for her to follow.

Ada couldn't help but stare after the man in question as Clint followed him. She shook her head, deciding it was better not to question everything and figure out what they wanted with her. Considering her power and what Tony was up to, she had no doubt that had something to do with it. Maybe that explained why Coulson had seemed so familiar.

As she followed them through the narrow, extensive hallways, Ada watched other agents flock to and from stations. The place was buzzing with activity. It reminded her of a military base, in some ways. The only difference was that these people looked more armed and trained for things that even the military wasn't prepared for. She shook her head at the thought, narrowing her eyes once more when they reached a smaller office.

"Who are you?" Ada repeated her earlier question, deciding to get straight to the point.

If this man was so determined to talk, she wanted to know if she could trust him or not.

"My name is Director Nick Fury," the man introduced himself, "I, along with Agent Barton, and Agent Coulson, work for SHIELD."

He paused, letting this new information sink in. Ada blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what was now happening. If these people did know about her powers, she knew they would try and take advantage of her.

"First off, why the fuck are you telling me this, and second off, can I go home before my father realizes I'm missing?" she snapped, ignoring the look Fury gave her.

She hadn't missed the fact that Clint followed them inside, or that he was now smirking in amusement at her demands. Considering Pepper was the one who called her with such urgency, she couldn't help but wonder if something far worse was happening with Tony. These people had taken her into their custody for a reason, and she wanted to know why.

"Gotta love a kid with a mouth," he snorted in amusement, earning a look from Fury.

"We could use someone with your… assets," Fury explained. "Until we get things settled at Stark Industries, it's better that you stay here."

 _My assets_? she repeated silently, suddenly understanding where this was headed. She'd heard enough stories to know that people like Fury would never see her as anything more than a weapon. If he knew about her powers, which she had no doubt he did, he would take advantage of her.

"You seriously expect me to believe that load of bullshit?" she demanded. "Look, I appreciate the fact that you want to keep me safe, but I'm not going to be someone's tool."

"That's not what I said," Fury sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ada, we've been watching you for some time now. We know about your powers, and where you came from. I believe it's in your best interest that you join SHIELD."

She let out a sigh after realizing that he wouldn't likely take no for an answer. Either she was forced to join SHIELD, or he would tell the world about her powers. She finally leaned forward, uncrossing her arms when she saw some of the benefits to joining SHIELD.

"Alright, where do I sign up?"

…

The following day had consisted of getting ready for the press conference scheduled at Stark Industries. After finding out that Obadiah had gone insane and tried killing Tony just to make a point, Ada was beyond furious. She realized that signing up for SHIELD meant she had missed out on helping her father, who could have been killed in the process. Tony had already reassured her that he was fine, and had proven it by showing that he only sustained minimal injuries. Though, that hadn't helped alleviate her worries that something far worse would happen.

Ada couldn't shake off the feeling that something much bigger was happening, here. She spent a good three hours just signing up for SHIELD and going through the protocols. After that, Clint brought her back to the mansion where she found out what had happened to Tony.

Now, it was a matter of getting the media off their backs. With Obadiah now dead, Tony had to take over the company again and make things right. That, and he needed to somehow convince the public that he wasn't the man behind the red and gold suit.

"There's been speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and the rooftop," Tony began, pausing for a moment as he stood at the podium and faced the crowd that began asking questions immediately.

Ada stood in the background with Pepper, Rhodes and Coulson lingering behind them. Fury had made the promise that she would begin her training as soon as possible, whether she wanted it or not. She tried not to grimace at the thought of how her training would go. Because she was new to the agency, she doubted anyone would take it easy on her, and she didn't expect them to. The biggest challenge was going to be adjusting to a busy schedule between training and keeping up with Tony.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared, despite the fact that—" Christine Everheart started.

Ada narrowed her eyes at the reporter, already feeling an amount of disdain towards her. Christine had been with Tony for a short time, and it hadn't ended on a high note when she was kicked out of the mansion. Pepper had taken great amusement in kicking the woman out once their one-night stand was over. Though, Ada could see that Tony was a bit uncomfortable seeing the female reporter again.

"I know that it's confusing. It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I'm a superhero."

She rolled her eyes at Tony's statement. Of course, his ego would need some fueling in regards of being a 'superhero'. As far as she was concerned, he was anything but a superhero. Though, the world could always use one after all the chaos in the Middle East.

"I never said you were a superhero," Christine pointed out.

"You didn't?" When she shook her head he actually looked stumped. "Well, good, because that would be outlandish and, uh, fantastic. I'm just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public."

Rhodes finally had enough with Tony's antics, and stepped forward to whisper something in his ear. Ada peered over her shoulder, not missing the fact that Coulson was now frowning. He was the one who wanted Tony to stick to the cards. Now, Ada suspected Tony was beyond the point of no return.

"The truth is…" Tony paused once more, looking down at his cards before looking back at the crowd, "I am Iron Man."


	11. Part Two, Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

A fist suddenly collided with her cheek as Ada was thrown out of her train of thoughts. Her eyes narrowed with fury as she caught the fist and threw the attacker over her shoulder. The attacker in question landed on the ground with a heavy thud, only to be replaced with another. The second attacker was stronger, this time, using her size against her by pushing her to the ground. Ada winced at the sudden impact of their leg hitting her side.

She began running the minute she could, escaping their grasp before the others could attack her at once. She would have thought by now that running wouldn't get her anywhere. In this case, though, Ada had quickly learned that using as little energy as possible before unleashing her full power was important. Flames erupted from the tips of her fingers as she managed to round the corner and narrowly avoid another hit to the face.

The idiot that followed her wasn't aware of the plan that she formulated. That gave Ada an advantage as she suddenly whipped around, unleashing a storm of fire upon the advancing attackers. It only took minutes for the attackers to collapse on the ground, resembling what appeared to be melting metal figures. A shiver ran through Ada when she noticed how eerily close they looked to a burning human body. While she had never seen one in person, she dreaded the day when that might actually happen.

"Simulation complete," a computerized voice suddenly announced.

Within seconds, the city-like structure dissolved into a room made of dark gray steel walls. Ada's shoulders sagged in relief as she kicked aside an android figure that she and another SHIELD agent had designed for these particular simulations.

"Let me know if you find something that can withstand a little heat," she quipped after walking out the door.

Two years had passed since she first joined SHIELD's training program. Since then, Tony had been focusing most of his attention on building suits and the company. With so much going on, Ada had been helping him out more recently with the Stark Expo now about to open. The expo itself had been a big deal when Tony brought it up. It was something that his father, Howard Stark, had begun and stopped after his death. With the Iron Man suit now fully established as a reality, Tony used that to his full advantage, giving the public exactly what they wanted: A hero, and someone with a ridiculously huge ego.

Tony was the kind of person who used the attention people gave him to his advantage. While he hadn't admitted it out loud, he did have feelings for Pepper, who also happened to be his new CEO. Ada hadn't had a problem with that notion, especially since the promotion was well-deserved. She just wished that Tony would get over himself and admit his feelings out loud instead of keeping them bottled up. Maybe than she could use his relationship as a distraction to escape when she was needed at the facility.

Truthfully, Ada hadn't had the heart to tell him that she joined SHIELD. She knew that if she had told him, he would react badly. It was one of the many reasons she hadn't told him about her powers. She was terrified of how he would react and treat her if he knew that she did have powers. There were times when she thought of telling Pepper, or maybe even Happy. But, Ada couldn't shake off the feeling of dread any time she thought of doing so. Maybe, it was better she kept it a secret. Besides, SHIELD could be the key to finding out the truth about where she came from, and how she was born with powers.

Her powers were just another problem that she had been learning to cope with. They were constantly fluctuating and changing depending on what sort of situation she threw herself in. Coulson had warned her that it was possible her powers weren't fully stabilized. And if that was the case, she would make a dangerous enemy if she did end up losing control.

"That's the best simulation test that we've designed," an annoyed Jimmy Baker groaned.

Jimmy was one of the few friends that Ada had made while working with SHIELD. He was a tech genius, much like Tony, and he was in his early twenties. With shaggy brown hair, lightly tanned skin and few muscles, he basically looked like one of those characters from the Big Bang Theory. His line of work was more in engineering and designing new technology for people like herself. They often worked on projects together when she wasn't busy getting her ass kicked by Clint.

She had to admit, it was nice being able to spend some time away from the constant training Clint put her through. Jimmy had a good sense of humor, and they would often spend hours just working on whatever projects were assigned to him. He had been trying to build droids that were able to withstand a blow from someone with powers like hers. Because of his line of work, they were trying to figure out what defensive systems worked best against anything the world threw at them.

"Yeah, well, I'd say it's time we got back to the drawing board," she replied with a smirk, "Might be a good idea to build a droid that doesn't get burned to a crisp anytime it pisses me off."

"You're not gonna stay and help me build them, are you?" he quipped, giving her a dirty look as she grabbed her coat, "You know, just because you're Stark's daughter doesn't mean you can leave whenever you want."

"Oh, so you're gonna pull that string on me?" she snorted with laughter, not missing the amusement flashing in Jimmy's eyes, "I've heard this song and dance before from the boss; he isn't going to control me just because I'm new."

By now, Jimmy was struggling not to laugh at her response. He knew she meant well – she actually _did_ have somewhere to be tonight. Besides, the longer she stayed at the base, the higher chances she had of getting caught by Tony. Right now, she wasn't in the mood to explain why she had been at a SHIELD facility in the first place. His lack of trust in the agency was understandable. But she had joined in the hopes of finding out who or what she really was. The hardest struggle was trying to keep it from him, especially since he was nosy enough that he'd hack into her files.

"Happy birthday, by the way," he called over his shoulder.

She simply gave him a wave, not bothering to guess how he of all people knew that today had been her birthday.

…

A display of fireworks and women dancing on the stage in the background could be seen in the distance. Once again, Ada stood in the back of the crowd while watching the Iron Man suit flying down. She simply rolled her eyes as that only got the crowd even more riled up.

The Stark Expo really was a big deal. After fifty years since the World's Fair, Ada knew that people treated this like it was: A frats party. She enjoyed the science part of it, though, and she spent a lot of her free time looking at the technology that people often presented to Tony.

The younger generation that presented some of their projects to Tony had been eager to prove themselves. In such a competitive world full of technology, Ada wasn't surprised with that notion. She had been impressed with some of the projects in question, especially when she knew how difficult it was to get the funding behind some of them.

What amazed Ada the most was that there were well over a thousand people standing in the crowd, just to get a glimpse of the Iron Man suit.

He loved soaking in all the attention the crowd would give him. Before he told everyone he was Iron Man, he'd promised her that he wouldn't let the attention get to his head. Ada nearly rolled her eyes when she thought of how quickly that promise had been broken. Now, he treated the whole thing as if it was a joke, even going as far as showing off a few times when he had the chance.

"Well, look at you; don't you look beautiful?" She whirled around, eyes widening in surprise at the familiar sound of Emmett's voice.

She couldn't hide the sheepish grin that followed when she saw him standing there, holding two glasses of wine in hand. They'd made up since their argument on the beach. Ada knew that things could have ended miserably between them had they not talked it through. Luckily, Emmett was the listening type, and he had bought her story full-line sinker.

"What are you doing here?" she asked after accepting his offer gratefully.

Underage or not, she didn't care much. At least she didn't get drunk like Tony, and throw wild parties as a result. Or, sleep with random people and not even remember their names the next morning. She tried not to let her disgust show at the thought of how many women had walked in and out of the mansion. The only consolation she had now was that Tony had been trying to change his ways since he promised not to drag her into said mess. Ada wasn't in any hurry to endure the parties that he threw, especially when she had better things to do.

"Come on, it's the Stark Expo," he reminded her teasingly. "Anyone who's anyone will be here. I've got some great photos too." He added the last part with a sheepish grin. "So why aren't you up there with your father?"

Ada grimaced as she looked over her shoulder to the stage where Tony was giving his address. There were many reasons she didn't feel like joining him on that stage. She hated when people tried comparing her to Tony. Or, when they judged her just because he was her adopted father.

"Let's just say that I don't mix well with cameras," she muttered, "Or, the press. I'll let my dad do the talking, for me." Emmett just chuckled in amusement at that, knowing full-well she was dead set against facing the press and admitting that out loud. "How's work going for your dad?" she asked curiously.

"Not bad," he shrugged, "Your father has some interesting ideas on how to create sufficient energy that is also cost effective for civilians."

That was enough to put a smile on her face. Tony really had been hard at work making good on his promise about ending the weapon's industry. He did so by designing products that were energy efficient and cost effective towards consumers. Ada had offered some insight on some of the tech, after talking to a few people working regular retail jobs who couldn't really afford anything fancy. Those who did talk to her were often taken by surprise by how open she was asking them various questions.

Tony had been grateful when he received a full report on her feedback. It was a popular idea to design tech that anyone living on minimum-wage job could afford. Because of that, the stocks in the company had begun skyrocketing.

"So, what have you been up to?" he added after noticing that she wasn't as tense as normal, "I haven't seen you this relaxed since we took that trip to the beach."

She chewed the bottom of her lip as doubt suddenly clouded her thoughts. If she was being honest with herself, she really had only felt relaxed when she was working. Clint was the first to point this out during some of their many sparring sessions. The archer may have seemed intimidating at first, but Ada soon learned he wasn't all that difficult to get along with. So long as she didn't piss him off – the last thing she wanted was to be used as target practice.

"I've been busy, with my uh… job," she admitted. She knew the look he was giving her. After being together for almost two years, Emmett seemed to read her like an open book. She had to make a mental note on that, to learn how she could keep people from reading her emotions, "It isn't the kind of job you're thinking of… it's something that can't be said out loud."

Of course, she knew better than to tell anyone she worked for SHIELD. It would only put their lives in danger. To make matters worse, she wasn't sure if Emmett would trust her if he knew the truth. It was better that she keep it a secret.

"A secret, huh?" Emmett shook his head disapprovingly. "So, what sort of secret job could a young woman such as yourself hold?" She threw him a scathing look, knowing full-well what he had been thinking. It was enough to make her stomach twist in disgust. "I'm sorry, it's the first thought that crossed my mind," he held his hands up in self-defense as she rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, I am nothing like my father," she snapped, "The last thing I plan on doing is throwing myself at every man that sees me."

A few SHIELD agents had learned that the hard way when they tried flirting with her. Between her explosive anger, Coulson's surprising protectiveness, and the fact that she spent a lot of time with Clint, those agents had learned to avoid her at all costs. And that she was off-limits. It had been fun watching their reactions when they tried pulling off a move on her. Considering she was one of the youngest recruits within the agency, it was a bit overwhelming.

"I know," Emmett nodded in agreement, flashing her a charming smile, "That is one of the many reasons I admire you."

She couldn't hide the small smile that followed. If it wasn't for the fact that they had already reached the spinning globe of the Stark Expo, Ada would have spent more time just talking to him. She loved moments like these, where it was just the two of them and she had no overprotective father or agent looming over her shoulders.

"I should get going," she sighed after glancing at the stage when she noticed the crowd had begun to dissipate.

By now, Tony was finished with his opening statement. She knew he would go looking for her, and if he caught her with another guy, he'd flip. Emmett was yet another secret she had been keeping to herself. Because Tony was so overprotective of her, she had no doubt that he would overreact around meeting Emmett in the first place.

"Same time, tomorrow?" he asked hopefully after giving her a quick kiss.

That couldn't stop the rush of butterflies that fluttered in her stomach. Or the heat from rising to her cheeks as she realized how far along they had gotten in their relationship. Even after being with him for almost two years, she never got tired of that feeling.

"I've actually already made plans for tomorrow," she admitted guiltily, knowing that she would be spending the afternoon with Tony looking for new interns. "But, maybe later in the evening."

Emmett didn't look surprised with her ever-busy schedule. She tried making time for just the two of them. As he walked over to his Chevy parked in the lot nearby, she knew that she would see him again, soon. Once Emmett drove away, Ada was left alone in the parking lot. She was hardly aware of how alone she was until realizing that most of the crowd had already left.

"Where were you?" Tony's voice made Ada freeze on the spot. She whipped around in time to see him out of his Iron Man suit, looking at her with an expression filled with annoyance and worry, "I've tried scanning the crowd multiple times, but, you weren't there."

"Maybe that was the idea," Ada muttered under her breath, ignoring the look he gave her. "Look, dad, I'm fine. I'm sixteen now; I think I can handle myself."

Especially after all the training she'd been through thanks to SHIELD. That alone was enough to remind her that she was getting stronger every day, whether Tony liked it or not. He would never approve of her joining SHIELD if he found out.

"Speaking of being sixteen, I've got the party all arranged for you," he told her, changing the subject faster than Ada could blink. After seeing all the other parties Tony threw, and having put up with them, she could only imagine where this was headed, "We're going to Monaco in a few days to see the race."

"Really?" Ada's eyes widened in disbelief as she realized what that meant. She'd always wanted to attend one of those races. Going to Monaco was just a bonus, one she knew she couldn't afford to miss, "Thank you!"

Maybe, this wouldn't be such a bad birthday, after all.

…

Her cheerful mood didn't last long, though when they returned to the mansion. She blinked in surprise upon seeing the envelop that Emily had given her before leaving the orphanage sitting on the bed. She already had a vague idea who put it there, though it irked her to know they'd broken into the mansion and in her room.

 _I'm sixteen now_ , she silently reminded herself. She remembered the lettering on the envelop that she now knew came from Coulson himself. She carefully picked up the envelop, noting that the handwriting reminded her of how Coulson himself had been looking out for her ever since she was found as a baby.

Curiosity got the better of her as she picked up the envelop. Time felt as if it slowed down as she opened the small package, eyes widening when she saw what was hidden inside.

A golden necklace, with a locket at the end of the chain slipped into her waiting hand. It was beautiful, and it looked as if there was a tiny Trinity symbol etched in the center of it. But, what really caught Ada's eyes were the letters encrypted in the back of the locket.

' _Ada_ '.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she realized that her name was encrypted on the back. It suddenly made her wonder if this was what her mother or father left her before leaving her at the orphanage. She knew of a few stories where children were left with gifts from their birth parents, in the hopes that they would understand why they were given up for adoption. What caught her attention was the fact that the lettering on the necklace had been in French. Strange markings on the back of it were impossible to make out. She couldn't help but feel as if that was another language in itself.

A scream of agony erupted from her lungs the minute she tried putting it on. Fire felt as if it tore through her body, ripping her apart in pieces. In a matter of seconds, the room felt as if it was spinning. She struggled to remove the necklace before it could cause further damage, when she suddenly felt frozen on the spot.

' _Ada, don't_.' Her eyes widened at the voice that echoed through her mind. ' _It is a bond to keep you safe_.'

"Safe? Safe from what?" she choked out, her teeth grinding together as they pain slowly began to fade.

' _You are too young to understand the dangers you are in_ ,' the voice replied.

Ada tried to restrain herself from speaking out again. The voice sounded oddly soothing, much like a mother reprimanding her child. As Ada finally managed to grip the bed frame, she tried standing up again, only to collapse from the shakiness of her legs.

"What do you mean? Why is my life in danger?" she demanded, her voice barely a whisper.

' _You are not ready, Ada_ ,' the voice replied, ' _Not ready_ …'

The voice began to fade out, as black spots appeared at the edge of her vision. The last thing Ada saw in her room before going dark was the ceiling that she stared blankly at. The last thing she heard was that voice whispering she wasn't ready, before passing out.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

"Thank God you're awake!" Her eyes fluttered open as she felt someone shaking her. It took a few minutes for Ada to register that she was still in her room, and that someone had woken her up. Her heart was racing, and she could feel beads of sweat rolling down her face. Tony stood in front of her, eyes wide with panic, "Ada, listen to me," he tried getting her to focus when she stared at nothing in particular, "What happened?"

Ada just stared at him for a few seconds, finding it impossible to speak after that awful experience. Memories of the other night were still a little foggy, but Ada could remember bits and pieces of what had happened. She'd put the necklace on, and she felt an excruciating amount of pain that followed shortly after. Of course, things hadn't gotten much better when she heard that voice in the back of her head.

The sudden dizziness she felt earlier came rushing back. Ada held back a sigh of frustration as she rubbed the temple of her forehead. Hearing voices in her head was never a good thing. She knew that nothing good would come out of telling Tony or anyone else the truth.

"Dad," she whispered, her voice distant.

"Ada." Tony pulled her in close, giving her a gentle hug after realizing she was okay. "What the hell happened to you? Jarvis warned me what was happening, but the video feed was too fuzzy to make out," he added when she relaxed in his arms.

"I'm fine," she tried brushing him off, knowing that an explanation like that was out of the question, "It was just from… overworking." God, she couldn't even tell him the reason behind passing out all of a sudden. She knew that at this point, lying was her only option to keep him out of the loop. Though, she hadn't missed the dark rings around his eyes, or the fact that he looked exhausted. "I think I should be more concerned about you. Have you been getting proper sleep?" she asked in an accusing tone.

Tony looked at her warily. That sudden caution was enough to bring up red flags of concern for Ada. She knew Tony well enough now to know when he was trying to hide something. The fact that he wasn't getting much sleep bothered her. She'd seen him down in the lab when she got home late from training, or when she had just been hanging out with Jimmy or Emmett.

The worst part was seeing his behavior change so drastically over the last couple of months. She had little doubt that something was wrong with him. When Natalie mentioned something about his vitals showing unusual anomalies, she should have seen the red flags.

Of course, Tony was too stubborn to admit when something was wrong. She had a feeling that he wouldn't bother asking for help unless there were no other options. Even then, she doubted Tony would find the courage to ask someone, because it would mean admitting that he _needed_ help.

"It's nothing to worry about," he muttered crossly. "Get yourself dressed, we have a date with the press and then we interns to look at."

She let out a groan at the mention of the press conference. Honestly, she had forgotten about it, conveniently. With everything that was going on, she'd been hoping that it would be miraculously canceled. The government's determination to take Tony's suits away never ceased to amaze her.

 _If those suits got in the wrong hands, it would end in chaos_ , she reminded herself. She knew the risks of such technology falling into the wrong hands. After working for SHIELD for a year, and going through their training program, they drilled it into everyone's heads of what to look out for in case something like that should happen.

Once she was finished getting ready, she left with Pepper and Tony on a private jet to Washington D.C. Pepper was busy reading the paper while Tony went off to who knew where. Ada focused on staring out the window, contemplating on how this conference would go.

"Where did that necklace come from?" Pepper's question caught Ada by surprise.

She glanced at the golden necklace in question, fighting back the urge to roll her eyes. She didn't know where it came from, or why Coulson insisted she waited until she was sixteen to put it on. What bothered her more than anything, though, was the fact that this necklace had caused her nothing but grief since she put it on.

How was a piece of jewelry capable of causing such pain? Dozens of questions were buzzing around her head as she thought of where it came from, and why it was given to her in the first place.

"It was a gift, from a friend," she shrugged.

After a year of training with SHIELD, Ada had become a master at lying. She hated doing so, especially since it meant she was keeping a secret from Tony that would likely cause a rift between them. But, it was mostly for his safety, and anyone else she was close to.

Luckily, it didn't take them long to settle down for the plane to reach DC. The press conference was already in full swing by the time Ada arrived. She took a seat beside Pepper, crossing her leg over. Senator Stern was the kind of man who would try anything in his power to take away the Iron Man suit. Of course, Tony always found a way to prove the suit wasn't a weapon. He made the Senator look like nothing more than a joke during conferences like these.

"Mr. Stark, can we pick up where we left off?" Tony was looking back at them, pretending he didn't hear. Ada almost laughed at Tony's antics, before kicking him from under the table. She knew she wouldn't likely hear the last of that one, "Mr. Stark!"

"Yes, dear?"

Tony's question was enough to leave the crowd chuckling in amusement. By now, Ada was struggling to smother her own fit of laughter as she caught the glare Stern was giving him. Tony had a way of irritating just about anyone, including the Senator.

"Do you or do you not possess a specialized weapon?"

She'd heard this song and dance enough times to know that Tony would just win the case, again. She crossed her arms and leaned against the back of her seat. The Senator kept looking in Ada's direction, as if daring her to speak out during this trial. Tony was on his own; she had no part in helping him develop the suit.

"I do not," he replied in a tone that implied he was bored.

"You do not," Stern half muttered half grumbled.

"Sir, what exactly do you mean by 'specialized weapon'?" Ada finally spoke up, taking her stand beside Tony.

"The Iron Man weapon," Stern retorted defensively.

"I would describe it as what it is, Senator," Tony finally spoke in a formal tone, this time proving that he actually was paying attention.

"As?"

"It's a very high tech prosthesis," Ada chirped, smirking as the rest of the crowd burst into laughter at that.

She hadn't missed the apologetic look Pepper was giving the Senator. It seemed that a sixteen-year-old girl always caught the attention of the court. This time was no different, as Ada took advantage of her age and she used it against the Senator.

"Really, that's all we can come up with. It's not a weapon—"

Stern cut him off with a wave of his hand, "It's a weapon; I hate to inform you that it's—"

"Let's be honest here. The tech inside that suit is beyond the minds of average intelligence," Ada cut him off this time, ignoring the look Stern was giving her as she looked back defiantly, "And I doubt anyone would have the brains to copy such a suit. And if you really cared about the country than—"

He cut her off yet again with a glare, "My priority, Miss Stark, is the well being of the people of the United States of America," he snapped.

Ada narrowed her eyes as she leaned back against her seat, knowing full-well that speaking out against the Senator was a dangerous idea. Though, the idea of pissing him off sounded far more appealing than it should have. His attitude towards the whole trial and the suit was what annoyed her more than anything else. The fact that he wanted to take the Iron Man suit away just told her that the government wanted another weapon on its hands.

"Well you can forget it," Tony cut in. "I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one."

"Basically, if he were to turn it over, he'd be turning himself in, and that would amount to indentured servitude," Ada added once the crowd fell silent.

"Or prostitution, which ever you prefer. But you can't have it."

She had to admit, it was fun watching Senator Stern get annoyed. He tried keeping a poker face on when Tony and Ada came up with many valid arguments to keep him from getting his hands on the Iron Man suit. It was easy to see that he was struggling under the pressure of keeping things together during the trial. He tried keeping on a straight face while growing more frustrated with each passing second, telling her that it wouldn't be long until he lost his temper.

"I of course, have a known expert…" Before Tony could try and cut him off again, Pepper stopped him by sitting on his other side, "… An expert on weapons, weapons expert."

Not for the first time, Ada wondered just what they would consider a weapons expert. Tony was about as much of an expert as one could get on weapons. Though, she had no doubt the Senator would find a way of adding one to his team.

"I'd like to call Justin Hammer to the stand!"

By now, the crowd in the court room was going wild at the mention of Justin Hammer. It took everything Ada had not to groan at the mention of Hammer. The idiot in question used to be major competition to Tony.

The problem with Hammer was, he made all of his weapons sound ideal and proper. They were cheaply made, and designed to break the first time they were used. Ada had done her own research on his products, and found plenty of complaints his consumers made over the years.

"Let the records show that we both observe Justin Hammer coming to the stand," she announced randomly, knowing full-well Hammer was anything but a weapons expert.

She hadn't missed the smirk Tony was trying to hide when she spoke up.

"Let it also show that we are wondering when a real weapons expert will come in," Tony chimed in cheerfully.

By now, Ada was struggling to smother her fit of laughter at the looks the crowd gave them. Pepper had to nudge both Tony and Ada to keep them quiet as the crowd began to murmur among themselves at the sight of Hammer striding into the room.

"Absolutely, I'm no expert compared to you Anthony Stark, or, the lovely Ada Stark. Compared to me you're both prodigies." Tony narrowed his eyes when Hammer's attention focused on Ada, who merely crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Senator, if I may…" He said before walking to the front of the room, "I may not be an expert, but I do know who was the expert. Your dad." The glare Tony threw Hammer was priceless. Ada knew that Tony had rarely gotten along with Howard Stark, and, understandably so. Mentions of Howard only put Tony on edge, "Howard Stark was really a father to us all in the weapon's business and military age."

Ada only glared at Hammer when she realized what he was implying. It took everything she had not to spit at him. The way Hammer spoke just left her feeling angrier than ever. He always seemed to have a way of making it seem like he was the best at everything, and that he mattered the most to everyone. What annoyed her more than anything was the fact that some people were willing to listen to him. True, some of what he said made sense in some ways. But most of it was nonsense to build propaganda.

"But let's be clear, Howard Stark was no flower child." She just scoffed at that. People thought Tony was rude to most of the Senators and idiots that wanted to take away his suits. But, nope. Hammer took the books for being the biggest asshole out there. "He was a lion. In the last six months, Anthony Stark with some help from his adopted daughter, Ada, has created a sword with untold possibilities. And yet, he insists that it's a shield to protect us from our enemies. He asks us to trust him as we cower behind it. I wish I were comforted, I really do; enough to have my door unlocked when I leave my house. But this isn't Canada. We live in a world of great threats. Threats that Mr. Stark may not always be able to foresee. Thank you, God bless Iron Man and God bless America."

She couldn't help but glare at Hammer as he brought her into the conversation. Yes, she'd helped Tony design a few of his suits, and she helped make them more energy efficient. She could still remember talking to Jimmy about making the suit more energy efficient. He'd been ecstatic over the idea of helping design the Iron Man suit, especially since technology was his strongest forte.

Yet, she was still annoyed over the fact that Hammer seemed to drag her into all of this mess. She knew people would willingly believe him because he had a way with words, and she had a feeling nothing good would come out of that.

"Now, the committee would like to invite Lt. Colonel James Rhodes to the chamber," Stern announced once Hammer was finished with his speech.

"Rhodey?" Tony asked in surprise.

Suddenly, his interest was peeked, and Ada couldn't resist looking either. What was he doing here? She was sure it was some sort of secret military thing. But he was a friend of theirs, so why would he be supporting the Senator?

Sure enough the door swung open to reveal Rhodes, dressed in his military uniform. He looked slightly annoyed to be put on the spotlight, but aside from that he looked fine. Peering over, she couldn't resist giving him a hug as he joined them.

"Hey, Rhodes, this is a surprise!" she greeted him warmly as he returned the gesture.

By now, Rhodes had become a good friend of Ada's when it came to stepping in if Tony wasn't around to fill in the role of her father. The two of them got along, mostly because they shared the same view of Tony's often reckless behavior.

"Hey, buddy," Tony shook his hand.

"Look, I'm here, let's move on," Rhodes replied in a low enough whisper.

"Alright."

Tony pouted as Rhodes stood in front of the Senator. Stern began speaking some more before giving Rhodes a specific portion of the report he had submitted.

"Sir, a paragraph out of context won't mean much—"

Stern cut him off before he could finish. Ada didn't know what was more annoying – the fact that Stern seemed to enjoy cutting people off, or that he'd called in both Hammer and Rhodes to try and come up with a defense against the Iron Man suit.

"I know that Lt., just read it please."

Rhodes looked at him uneasily and coughed before speaking again.

"Let the records show the fact that he is reading only a portion of context shows that he isn't telling the truth," Ada pointed out.

"No, the record doesn't need that," Stern replied in a sharp tone.

"Should I also mention that the Senator is also being very rude in the public?" She added the last part with a smirk, knowing that she was getting under his skin.

She was half-tempted to make the water sitting in the glass on his desk move so that it landed in an uncomfortable position. She had to resist the urge, especially when she knew it would just give away her position.

"Just read the statement please." He let out a sigh of irritation and glared at Rhodes.

"Keep glaring like that and your face might freeze," she muttered under her breath.

By now, even Pepper was trying not to laugh. She tried keeping on a poker face while dad just grinned like an idiot. Rhodes just gave her a pleading look, but, Ada could only nod in encouragement. It's not like he could stop Stern, even if he wanted to.

"As he does not work in any branch within the government, Iron Man presents a potential threat to the security of both the nation and its interests. I, however, go on to summarize that the benefits of Iron Man outweigh its costs. It would also be in our interests to fold Mr. Stark into the chain of command."

Stern was trying to cut him off towards the end, but Rhodes only looked at the crowd triumphantly as he finished his statement. If anyone could get the government on their side, it was Rhodes. He always seemed to have a good way of making it sound convincing, one way or another.

"I'm not a joiner but I'll consider secretary of defense, if you ask nicely," Tony said. The people in the room laughed at that statement. "We can amend the hours in a bit."

The Senator ignored dad's announcement and began showing images of what appeared to be suits that were similar to Iron Man's. He went on about Rhodes' reports and how suits were being made at this moment. Rhodes kept on telling Stern that it wasn't in the nation's best interest, but Stern ignored his pleads.

It didn't take Ada long to pull out her phone and use the technology that she and Jimmy had been working on. Not for the first time, she had to thank SHIELD for letting her use some of their technology in public. She and Jimmy often worked on lab projects to pass the time, and to keep other agents satisfied. None of them needed to know that the projects they worked on had been to hack into 'highly secured' technology.

"Intelligence suggests that the devices seen in these photos are attempts at making man copies of Stark's suit." Tony glanced over her shoulder to see what she was doing and grinned. She typed in a few codes and bypassed the security. He was doing the same with his phone. "It has been inferred that these suits are quite possibly at this moment, operational."

"Hold on a second," Tony mumbled as he bypassed the security. "Ada, you got that one?"

She simply nodded and aimed her phone at the right screen, while he aimed his phone at the left. Stern furrowed an eyebrow when he realized what they were doing.

Almost at once the command box appeared, showing the words ' _Welcome, Miss Stark_ '.

"Well, that was quick," Ada whispered when Tony's name showed up seconds later.

"Time for a little transparency. What do you think is really going on here?" Tony asked.

"If you would all take a look at the screens here," Ada began as she scrolled through the images. "I believe this is North Korea."

The machine fell over and began firing wildly. Blood splattered across the screen, and the people in the room recoiled at the sight. While it wasn't the first time Ada had seen such violence, it was still enough to make her shudder. She hated to imagine the lawsuits that came from that incident.

Senator Stern began protesting that someone needed to turn the screens off as more and more images began to show up. She smirked as Tony began narrating the pictures showing up on the screen.

"And that's Iran…" The suit fell over in a puff of smoke, blowing up the camera in the process. "No grave, immediate threat here."

Ada couldn't help but giggle when she saw a familiar image show up on the screen. SHIELD had the file locked away, but somehow it had gotten onto Tony's files. When it came to hacking into anything, Tony was an expert.

"Is that Justin Hammer?" she asked in an innocent voice.

"How'd he get there?" Tony asked in a joking tone. Hammer was wincing as he tried turning off the screen. "Hey Justin, focus, you're on the big screen!" Tony called out. The robotic suit failed miserably, and Ada could hear Hammer swearing in the background. "Yeah, I'd say most countries five to ten years away, but Hammer Industries…"

"I'd say twenty," she said with shrug.

"Let the records be shown that no one was injured during that test," Hammer added.

He was trying to save his sorry ass, and he failed miserably.

"The point is I think we're done here—" The Senator was struggling to take control of the court again. But, dad cut him off once more.

"The point is you're welcome. I'm your nuclear deterrent. It's working. America is safe; you want my property, you can't have it! But I did you a big favor, I have successfully privatized world peace!" Tony stood up showing peace signs, and Ada only slumped further into her seat as people applauded for his success. "What more could they want? For now? We tried to play ball with these ass-clowns!"

Ada let out a sigh of annoyance as Stern began swearing at them. Tony just ignored it and led the way out of the room. She was relieved to leave the tension, and thankful they had won the battle. At least for now the Iron Man suit was still in Tony's hands.

…

Later that day, they were back at the mansion sitting in the gym while going through the list of interns that Tony was looking to hire. They'd already gone through several interviews, but, so far, none seemed to fit the bill. Tony, being the impatient man that he was, had taken his frustration out on poor Happy through a boxing match.

Ada sat beside Pepper while looking through the files that were sent to them. Pepper was the one who taught her the ins and outs of Stark Industries. So, Ada had earned her place among the board when it came to accepting interns and figuring out what needed to be done. With Pepper busy looking at her own agenda, Ada had noticed a name pop up on her list of interns.

Natalie Rushman. According to the list, she hadn't shown up, yet. Her guess was, the woman was running late. Or, rumors of Tony's reputation had reached her, and she was thinking twice about working with him as an intern.

"Hey, Pepper, have we seen her, yet?" she asked, catching Pepper's attention as the strawberry blond shifted in her seat.

The woman in question was a redhead, with curly hair and piercing green eyes. As Ada studied the image, she realized with a start that she recognized the woman from somewhere. She'd seen bits and images of the woman through SHIELD's database, of all places.

"No, she gave me a call earlier this morning and said she would be running late," Pepper replied after noticing what Ada was looking at. Well, at least that made sense. Ada frowned as she studied the image a bit further, hating that she recognized the woman, but, couldn't explain why, "I'll be back in a few," Pepper warned her after receiving a phone call.

She just nodded and watched as Tony suddenly slugged Happy across the face, hard. He hit the bell seconds later as Happy staggered to his feet, trying to recover from the shock of the blow. Ada just rolled her eyes at the sight, wondering how reckless Tony could get.

"That was a cheap shot, Tony," she muttered, ignoring the look he gave her.

"Doesn't matter; I still won," Tony replied without missing a beat.

Ada was about to make a retort when she noticed for the first time, how exhausted he looked. She narrowed her eyes after scanning with her phone when she spotted the tattoos that marked his neck. For one thing, Tony didn't have any tattoos. For another, his exhaustion was something that shouldn't have been overlooked.

"Tony, we have a visitor," Pepper warned him after returning from her phone call.

She quickly put her phone away after noticing the woman from the picture standing behind Pepper. Natalie was exactly what she expected out of the picture. Ada couldn't help but tilt her head to one side curiously as she noticed something vaguely familiar, about her.

"Got it; take a break," Tony ordered Happy, who looked more than relieved with that prospect.

While Tony was busy speaking with Natalie, Ada did her own research. She rose an eyebrow as she moved into SHIELD's database. Her eyes narrowed when she finally understood _why_ Natalie looked so familiar.

She was also known as Natasha Romanoff, AKA, the Black Widow. She was infamous throughout the agency, being a former master assassin and taking on missions that most agents tried to avoid. Ada had only seen pictures of the redhead, and heard stories from Clint, who also happened to be Romanoff's partner.

"How many languages can you speak?" Ada asked, glancing in Natalie's direction as she felt the woman's glare piercing through her.

"Several, including Latin and a few other dead languages," Natalie replied, narrowing her eyes as if daring Ada to give her position away, "I've heard you can speak several, as well."

She was ignoring Tony's presence as she looked at Ada with an expression that could be described as, 'If looks could kill'. Ada nearly rolled her eyes at that, knowing full-well that Natalie would kick her ass if she called her out.

"C'est pratique," she said, speaking in French. Natalie raised an eyebrow, actually looking impressed.

"Je suis sûre que ça l'est," she replied.

Tony just looked at them both in confusion before leading her to the fighting ring. Ada rolled my eyes when Pepper whispered something to him, but he cut her off while taking a swig of his drink. she didn't even want to know what it was he drank.

"Happy, why don't you show her a few moves," Tony said to Happy as he finished speaking.

Natalie glanced over at Happy warily as he stood up.

"What are you doing?" Ada demanded in a low whisper as dad joined us by the chairs.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he muttered. "So, who does Natalie work for?" he asked as he started typing away at the computer.

"She said it's legal," Pepper told him.

Legal. Otherwise, she meant, 'classified'. Ada had no doubt that Natalie was just trying to keep an eye on Tony, through whatever SHIELD had told her. Though, she couldn't shake off the sense that SHIELD was also trying to keep an eye on her, as well.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when Happy was suddenly thrown down to the floor. Natalie had her legs wrapped around his neck seconds later, clearly not taking any chances with the bigger man. Ada could only watch from a distance as Happy struggled from her strong grip. Natalie was not the kind of person she would want to piss off.

"Happy!" Pepper exclaimed in horror.

Ada narrowed her eyes at Natalie, having seen Clint use that move on her more times than she could count during their training sessions. She'd returned home multiple times with injuries that she just couldn't explain to Tony. Not without giving away her own position in SHIELD.

"TKO," Tony announced while ringing the bell. Natalie stood up after releasing her grip from Happy, who was gasping for breath. "You're a keeper!" he added once she recomposed herself.

She couldn't help but look down at the floor when they left the room, still chatting away. Considering who Natalie really was, she had no doubt the woman would give Tony a run for his money once she started 'working' for him. This was not going to end well.

* * *

 **AN: Changed the French around thanks to Nogly; thanks for sharing that; obviously, French is not my first language, but, it is one of my favorite languages, and I apologize for any mistakes I made ^^  
**

 **'It Comes In Handy' - c'est pratique**

 **'I'm sure it does' - je suis sûre que ça l'est**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

" _There was a dream and one day I could see it, Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it And there was a kid with a head full of doubt So I'll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out..._ " - A Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise, The Avett Brothers

* * *

Ada found herself staring across the ocean as she thought of everything that was happening. Between the incident with putting her necklace on, Tony's reckless behavior, and everything else, she didn't know how to handle the situation. Her thoughts were churning with anxiety. She didn't know what to do with Tony, given that he was clearly losing sleep, and he had been acting worse than usual. Knowing that something was wrong with him had bothered her. And she suspected that it would only get worse before it got better.

"Ada, it's good to see you, again!"

She froze mid-step at the familiar sound of Emmett's voice. She'd almost forgotten that they'd planned on meeting today. With everything going on, she couldn't keep her schedule straight. Still, that didn't stop her from grinning with relief when she saw him standing not far from her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized with a shake of her head, "I kind of forgot about… this."

Guilt swept through her as Emmett took a step forward, closing the distance between them. She felt her heart racing as new sensations swept through her when he touched her necklace. She hadn't had the heart to take it off since that night. Not when she still had a dozen questions in regards of how it appeared, in the first place.

"It's fine," he murmured distractedly. "Where did you get this?" he asked, obviously drawn in by what was encrypted on the back of the locket. Ada simply rose an eyebrow before explaining that it had been given to her by her mother, as a parting gift. While she had no actual proof of that, at least it made a valid excuse, "It is beautiful. Whoever your mother was, she had good taste."

She couldn't hide the smile that followed, especially when he pulled her into a kiss. There was something almost mesmerizing about his kisses. Ada didn't want to admit that it was purely because Tony had been so overprotective of her. She never realized until she had started seeing Emmett how much she longed for something like this. The kind of affection someone other than family could give her.

"What was that for?" she breathed out after they pulled apart.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she leaned into his strong arms. For someone who invested most of his time and energy into technology, Emmett was surprisingly strong. Then again, she reminded herself that that was nothing more than a hypocritical thought.

"Just a—"

Emmett was never given a chance to finish his statement when something suddenly pried them apart. A yelp escaped from Ada's lungs as she realized Tony had caught them, red handed. Her eyes widened with disbelief as she saw him standing behind Emmett, dressed in the Iron Man suit.

"Do that again, I dare you," Tony practically growled out the words. Ada rolled her eyes when she heard the defensiveness in Tony's voice. She could practically feel him glaring at both herself and Emmett through the mask. His arms were crossed in a defiance stance. "So, you wanna explain why you were kissing my daughter, kid? Or, am I gonna have to haul your sorry ass to jail, myself?"

"Dad, stop!" Ada snapped after realizing where this was headed. He'd already raised an arm with his open hand, ready to fire a repulser shot when she pulled the arm down, "I'm sorry, I should have told you… Emmett and I are dating." The words felt hollow in her throat as the mask finally slid off. Emmett had been looking between Tony and Ada, his own eyes wide with horror after realizing what Tony was about to do. "Look, I know I should've told you sooner, but, I knew you would've just reacted this way."

Tony just stared at her for a few seconds, his expression impossible to read. He just kept looking between Ada and Emmett, as if expecting one of them to start explaining themselves. Ada knew it wasn't much of an excuse, and that there would be hell to pay for not telling him, sooner. But, she also knew that she had been in the right to keep it a secret until he was ready to hear the truth.

"How long have you two been… dating?" he asked, looking as if he was going to be sick at even _mentioning_ the word 'dating'.

 _Idiot_ , Ada thought, resisting the urge to glare as she wondered if he would ever let her do the things that normal teenagers did. Considering Tony was the one who constantly brought home women with him from the many frat parties he left, she could just as easily use that against him.

"It would be about two years, now, sir," Emmett replied, his voice polite as ever, despite the obvious fear in his eyes.

Tony's eyes widened to the size of saucers, at that point. By now, Ada was struggling not to grumble under her breath in annoyance. She partly understood his worries. Being the overly protective father that he was, even if he was her adoptive father, meant that he had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. One of those responsibilities included watching over the type of men and boys she dated over her lifetime.

"Maybe this is something we should discuss over dinner," she suggested, hoping that would help alleviate any worries he felt, "You know, like, right now?"

Truthfully, Ada had been hoping to break down the tension between Tony and Emmett. Of course, nothing seemed to be working.

"You and I are going to discuss this later, young lady," Tony said in a tone that told Ada this was far from over, "And, as for you, I suggest you get out of here now, before I decide to fly you out, the painful way," he added to Emmett after glaring at him.

She hadn't missed the way Emmett's gaze darkened at the thought of being flown away by Iron Man. The whole thing would be nothing more than sheer embarrassment. A shiver ran through Ada as she looked at Tony, suddenly aware that this really was far from over.

…

"Of all the irresponsible things you could've done behind my back!" Tony ranted on as he paced around the living space, with Ada sinking further into her seat after each accusation. He'd been at this for the last thirty minutes, now, and had Happy sitting in the corner while taking mental notes on how to punish her. Though, after putting up with Director Fury for two years, along with Clint Barton, Ada had quickly learned how to deal with people yelling at her, and Tony's words had no effect on her, "Do you have any idea how pissed I am?"

He finally stopped pacing and turned to glare at her once more. Ada held back a sigh of frustration as she noticed the black veins along his neck again. Worry clouded her thoughts when she realized that those veins were not normal. They'd begun getting worse with each passing day, and were now noticeable from a distance.

"Yes," she replied, keeping her own voice toneless.

Working with SHIELD had its advantages. Ada knew how to put on a mask and hide her emotions, annoyed or not. Though now, she was more worried than annoyed after seeing those veins on Tony's neck. Something was clearly going on with him. And, of course, he was too stubborn to admit that.

"Good, because you're grounded." Well, she didn't see that one coming. She nearly rolled her eyes at the obvious statement. "Jarvis is gonna have your room under lock down after eight at night, for one month straight. You hear me?"

"Sounds fine with me," Ada shrugged it off, struggling not to smirk when she caught the glare that followed.

"Alright, then two months," Tony corrected himself. Ada just kept on a poker face, though, it was getting difficult to keep on a straight face after catching the look Happy gave them. Tony wasn't exactly father of the year, and he wasn't exactly good at following the rules. Even if they were his own. "Good?"

She simply gave a nod, crossing her arms as she finally stood up to face him.

"Dad, no matter how many times you punish me, or try to ground me, it's not going to stop me from dating Emmett," she pointed out. Tony opened his mouth, ready to argue when she stopped him, "Look, like it or not, I'm sixteen. I'm at the age where I can make my own choices on who I can or can't hang out."

"Ada, you're still my baby girl," Tony reluctantly admitted, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "Last thing I want is for any of those assholes to hurt you."

"I'm going to make mistakes, dad. I'm a teenager, it's what we do," she couldn't help but smile as she looked at Tony, knowing that this was still new territory for him. Even though she had lived with him for ten years, now, that didn't make his job any easier. "That's where you come along and act like a parent."

Tony let out a sigh of frustration when he realized the valid points she made. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew she was right.

"I hate it when you go all Vulcan on me and use logic against me," he grumbled crossly.

Ada grinned at that and stuck her tongue out at him, "I know you do," she laughed.

He finally let it go once the tension simmered down. Ada rose an eyebrow as she caught the looks Happy gave them both. He'd been there as a mediator, and now, it didn't even look as if he was needed. Though, Ada suspected Happy would've been more than thrilled to help Tony with whatever assistance he needed in 'fathering'.

"Alright," he sighed once again and looked at her seriously, after giving Happy a nod that it was okay for him to leave, "Look, I get that you're sixteen, now. I'll let this one slide, but, only if you promise you'll be honest with me."

She chewed the bottom of her lip as sudden doubt clouded her thoughts. Of course, she was keeping a huge secret revolving around her powers and her training with SHIELD. Something in the back of her mind told her that Tony would react very differently, if he knew the truth.

"Deal," she replied.

"Good. Get yourself packed for tomorrow. We're still going to Monaco."

With that thought in mind, and those final words, Ada gave him another hug before heading back to her room. She was thankful he at least understood that she was old enough to start dating. She just hoped he hadn't traumatized Emmett too much.

Her room itself had changed a lot since she moved into the mansion. The bed now rested on a rising platform that was circular. Large panel windows looked out onto the ocean, providing her the perfect view of any sunset and sunrise. The ceiling itself was painted a dark blue, and when she turned off the lights, the reflection of the night sky could be seen. She still had the little stuffed cheetah that Pepper had gotten her placed on a bookshelf, that was also lined with several books she'd collected over the years.

The mansion itself was laid out so that walk-in closets in every room, including guest rooms. Ada herself had her closet organized with all the clothing Pepper had gotten her, along with clothing she'd accumulated over the years. There were a few things that Tony had gotten her throughout the ten years she'd lived with him, and, she couldn't thank him enough.

Thoughts of Tony left her shivering with unease as she sat on her bed.

The strange patterns along his neck were getting worse. It was something that couldn't go by unnoticed. Ada knew for a fact that something was wrong, and whether Tony wanted to admit it or not, was beyond her.

She let out a sigh and stood up once more, packing things just to clear her thoughts. It wasn't until hearing her phone ring that Ada paused. She rose an eyebrow after noticing who the caller in question was. After trying to get a hold of him a dozen times the other day, she could only assume that he'd been on a mission, that week. Though, knowing that this was Clint, it didn't entirely surprise her that he avoided her at all costs.

"You called?"

Typical. His gruff-as-ever tone didn't intimidate her. As much as Clint tried pulling off Fury's moves, he failed miserably. That didn't stop Ada from debating whether she should tell him her worries about Tony, or, start with 'Natalie Rushman'.

"Yeah… do you know anyone by the name of Natalie Rushman?" she asked casually, folding a pair of pants and a t-shirt into her suitcase while putting her phone on speaker, "Woman showed up at the mansion this morning for an interview. As an intern."

From the files she'd read, Natasha was not a woman she would want to piss off. It had surprised her that Natasha never once mentioned that she knew who she was. Then again, she was likely on an undercover mission of her own if she decided to apply for a job working for Tony.

"Sorry, the name doesn't sound familiar," he replied almost automatically. Ada rose an eyebrow at that. She could almost hear the reluctance in Clint's voice, telling her that something was clearly bothering him, "Besides, why would you call _me_ , of all people?"

"Because she resembles someone similar to a woman in the SHIELD database," Ada retorted, ignoring the snort that followed on the other end of the line, "Look, why did SHIELD send an agent to look after my dad? I know _you_ know something's up, whether you're willing to admit it, or not."

If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that Clint was struggling not to laugh hysterically at her accusation. Considering he was the one who taught her most of what she knew, now, she wouldn't be surprised. The archer had become somewhat of a mentor to her, as annoying as he could be.

"Look, Ada, I have to go. Unlike you, I've got important work that needs to be done," he finally snapped after a moment's pause.

"Ass," Ada muttered under her breath, ignoring the laughter that followed.

He hung up seconds later, leaving Ada to figure out what to do from there. With a sigh of frustration, she finished packing the last of her contents and tossed her phone on the nightstand. Clint always seemed to know how to get under her skin. He _was_ the last person she should have called, but, a part of her was afraid of calling Coulson. Jimmy was out of the question, since he never met Natasha Romanoff in person. So, the archer was the only other option she had aside from Fury.

She supposed for now, knowledge of the Black Widow would have to wait. She did technically have more things to worry about. After all, the trip to Monaco was going to be the only vacation she had before going back to work with SHIELD.

…

Nadia had stopped running. She was too exhausted to keep it up. The men giving chase were relentless in their attacks. By now, several small villages and towns had been destroyed during their search. She and her newborn child were truly the last of their kind.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to no one in particular.

Tears started streaming down her face as she reached the outskirts of an abandoned village. She had to rest for her sake and the baby's sake. It was already crying for food and showing signs of starvation.

All the first-time mother could do was stare down at her child, wrapped in warm blankets, looking so tiny and fragile. It was like looking down at a mirror. Her daughter had the same raven-black hair she did. Same brown eyes and caramel colored skin. Nadia breathed in deep and held her daughter close. She had to do this for her child's sake and for the sake of their people.

"I say these words before the spirits of our ancestors," she began as she held the baby up. Her hands began to glow an eerie white, and the blanket around the baby began to glow as well. "Take care of my daughter, send her to a world where she will be safe and accepted."

The men giving chase came to a halt when they saw the blinding light. Nadia's eyes had even turned white as the baby began to disappear. She ignored their shouting as the child vanished completely. The leader of the group approached her once she collapsed to the ground, all energy drained.

"Where did you send it?"

He kicked her in the ribs so that she was turned to face him. The white glow in her eyes started to fade, and, she could only glare at him. Exhaustion had swept through her. Using that gift had taken everything, from her. She knew that she would not be able to fight this man off.

"Somewhere you will never find her," she rasped. "Our people will survive."

A new sense of determination had taken over when she lost her daughter. Suddenly, she began to stand up, ignoring the sword the leader of the group had unsheathed. Despite the exhaustion sweeping through her, she found strength in knowing that her daughter would remain safe, and out of their clutches.

"How wrong you are, dear Nadia," he sneered. The woman let out a shout of pain as he swung his sword across her cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood running down her neck. "You've just made the biggest mistake of your life."

She never had the chance to respond. Quick as a flash, he drew his sword. The only words that came out was a chilling scream, followed shortly after by an eerie silence. The men standing behind him didn't even flinch at the sight. This was what they were trained for, to kill the last of her kind.

"Go forth and search for that child," the leader ordered, pointing his sword towards his allies. "Do not let her survive."

…

Dread swept through Ada the moment she woke up, struggling not to scream in terror. Her heart was racing at a rate that she didn't think humanly possible. Visions of the woman who was slain before her eyes came rushing back. The same woman she had been following throughout her dreams, dead at the foot of the very soldier that had chased down all of her people. It took a few seconds for Ada to finally calm down; her hand clutched her chest as she steadied her breathing and let out a shuddering breath.

By the time Ada did manage to calm down, she reached for her notebook and began writing down what she had seen in full detail. Images of the baby she had seen came rushing back, as well. Ada frowned, realizing that the baby the woman had fought so hard to protect had looked a lot like _her_. That thought alone sent shivers of dread through her.

 _God, these nightmares are getting worse and worse_ , she thought bitterly, knowing that sleep would be difficult to come by now. All she could do now was hope that the night went by quickly enough, and that she could catch up on rest while in Monaco. Otherwise, these next few days were going to be hell for her.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Fury, you do realize that I'm supposed to be on vacation, right?" Ada asked after she'd pulled out the pad that Tony gave her weeks ago. It was a Stark Pad, some of the latest technology that wasn't even out on the market, yet. Ada had tweaked with it and managed to get the system working flawlessly. Now that it was fully functional, Ada used it mostly while she was on business trips with Tony, using a special function that prevented people from tracking her calls. And, of course, the one time she was on vacation, Director Fury would call her, "I've got better things to do than listen to you yell your ass off at me."

She was in the hotel room that Tony booked where her party was being held, getting ready. The room itself was about average, with a double-sized bed and small closet where she could put her clothing in. Tony always seemed to go all out on business trips. Ada didn't mind staying in any place possible. Considering she was now working for SHIELD, she would have to get used to living conditions that might be considered appalling to most people.

"I understand that," Fury replied, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. If there was one thing he hated, it was an arrogant Stark. Though, in Ada's defense, she was on vacation, and she hadn't gotten much sleep because of her nightmare, "But, I'm calling you ahead of time to send you information on a future mission. Have you heard of Doctor Banner?"

That name was enough to catch Ada's attention. Tony had mentioned Banner's work on more than one occasion when she was working in the lab. She knew how much Tony idolized Banner's study on Gamma radiation. Though, Ada suspected he was more interested in the explosion that had followed during one of Banner's experiments regarding Gamma.

There had been reports on what happened after one of his experiments went horribly wrong. While most of those reports weren't available to the public, she'd seen some of them thanks to the agency keeping tabs on anyone who dealt with the weird and the unusual, and Banner's work had been at the top of said list.

"So, you're expecting me to find some guy who's been on the run from the military for the last few months, now?" she asked in disbelief.

While this was her first actual SHIELD sanctioned mission, it seemed like an impossible task. She should have been excited with the idea of Fury trusting her enough to go on a solo mission. But a small part of her was also dreading the moment she went out on her own. The last attempt had ended in miserable failure, and while she hadn't been alone at the time, she still ended up hurting people in the process.

 _What happens if something like that occurs again_? she wondered anxiously.

Ada had already fallen onto the bed as she set her Pad on the nightstand and stared at the ceiling, putting it on speaker. Banner had been on the run for years after the experiment had gone horribly wrong, and finding him was like finding a needle in a hay stack.

"I know this isn't gonna be easy, Stark, but with your age and with your abilities to connect with people, you're the most qualified agent for this mission," he pointed out. Ada sucked in a breath as she understood where he was getting at, with that. She wasn't exactly what people would consider 'qualified'. Given how young she was and how much the council had fought for her to stay away from the agency, she was surprised that Fury was allowing this in the first place, "This is what you've been training for."

She held back a sigh and finally moved the Pad so that she was looking at the camera. Fury of all people should have known better than to send someone like her out on the field. She was anything but ready for such a mission. Finding someone like Banner meant she would spend weeks away from Tony. It also meant she had to make up some kind of excuse to get away from him.

She had already lied enough to Tony since joining SHIELD. She knew it was only a matter of time before he figured out something was up. And she had a feeling that the moment he did find out was when everything would spiral out of control.

"Exactly what excuse am I supposed to make with dad when this is all said and done?" she asked, eyeing Fury seriously when she caught the deadpan look he threw her, "He doesn't know I'm working for SHIELD, and I was hoping to avoid telling him until he's ready."

"Leave that to us," Fury reassured her, not looking the least bit surprised with her worry, "We've already got the coordinates of the location where he was last spotted; he shouldn't be that hard to track." Ada gave a nod at that, glancing at the corner of her screen when she saw that the encrypted message was sent, "The mission is in a few days, so get ready."

Ada let out a sigh of frustration when he disconnected the call. Once the screen went dark, she finished getting ready and made sure that everything was in check before meeting with Tony and the rest of the crowd. She was nervous. Not just about the mission, but the party itself. Tony always invited people she didn't know, which meant she'd have to play along with smiles and waves.

She tried not to think about it as she left the hotel room to meet with Tony and Pepper. Things between herself and Tony had gotten drastically better, after they talked things through. She just hoped he understood where she was getting at when it came to being a teenager. She was going to be disappearing more often than not when it came to SHIELD sanctioned missions, and, Tony needed to be ready for that.

"Well, don't you look good," Tony remarked after seeing the silver-gray dress Ada had chosen to wear. It was a stark contrast to her caramel colored skin tone, and it hugged her hips nicely. Though, Tony wasn't overly fond of the fact that it did make her attractive. "You know what, why don't you go and change into something a grandma might wear?" he suddenly suggested after wrinkling his nose at the thought.

"Ignore him," Pepper rolled her eyes, clearly as annoyed with Tony's behavior as Ada felt. "You look beautiful, Ada."

"Thank you, Pepper," she grinned back, relieved that at least someone saw through Tony's ruse.

He only rolled her eyes before leading the way down to the main room where the party was being held.

Ada blinked in surprise when she saw the same woman from the last interview a couple of days ago waiting for them. 'Natalie' just looked at them with a pleasant smile, albeit there was tension between her and Pepper the minute the strawberry blond noticed her.

"I cannot believe you hired her," Pepper hissed under her breath.

She was more than likely annoyed Tony had hired Natalie without her consent. Though, Ada couldn't blame her for that, especially considering she was also the CEO of Stark Industries. Tony's smug look only left Ada crossing her arms as she caught him looking at Natalie up and down. She nearly rolled her eyes at that, knowing full-well that Tony was crossing boundaries he shouldn't at that point.

"Miss Potts, Mister Stark, Miss Stark, you have a photographer, so—" She paused as a cameraman suddenly reached them and took their pictures. All of them kept on a poker face, despite the obvious tension between them. Ada had no doubt Tony was in for an earful when this was over, judging from the glare Pepper was giving him, "Right this way."

"You look fantastic," Tony started once Pepper was out of earshot.

"Thank you, very much," Natalie returned the gesture with a charming smile of her own. Ada couldn't help but glance at Pepper self-consciously when she noticed she was distracted by a couple of reporters, "You have a dinner today at nine thirty."

"Perfect," Tony replied with a wide grin, "I'll be sure to make it by eleven. Is this ours?"

He gestured to a table that overlooked the racetrack. Ada rose an eyebrow when she noticed that crowds were already beginning to fill in the stands. The race itself didn't start for another hour or two, but vendors were also joining the crowds to sell whatever merchandise they could.

"It can be," the redhead replied, though her hesitance told Ada she wasn't looking forward to dealing with that task.

Luckily, Pepper had already pulled Tony aside to start knocking some sense back into his head. Ada grimaced at the thought, knowing that Pepper was not the kind of woman she would want to piss off. She may have acted honey-sweet most of the time, but she had a temper about her that made even a wolverine look friendly.

"So, what made SHIELD decide to send the Black Widow after my father?" Ada asked once she and Natalie were left alone.

She glanced at the redhead self-consciously, not missing the fact that she actually faltered a little. She almost smirked at that sight. After running enough searches throughout the database and checking in with Clint on the matter, she knew who the redhead really was. Natalie had done a good job at wearing a disguise, and Ada supposed that was part of her training, but the red hair had been a giveaway.

"There's no such thing as the Black Widow," she tried pointing out.

"Please," she scoffed in annoyance, crossing her arms once more as she looked at Natalie curiously, "I've heard enough rumors from both Barton and Coulson to know that she does exist, and that she normally only works sanctioned missions out on the field. So, what are you _really_ doing here?"

"Barton was right," Natalie shook her head in grim amusement, "You are annoyingly perceptive." Ada tsked her tongue at that, knowing Clint found her more annoying than any other agent he'd worked with. Though, in her defense, she _was_ still a teenager. "Look, I've been sent here to keep an eye on your father in case he does anything reckless. Seems there've been a few readings on his vitals that aren't showing up as normal."

Both were already headed to the bar where they could order drinks. Even if she was only sixteen, that didn't mean Ada deprived herself of a good drink. She'd broken into Tony's stash behind his back, and while she didn't drink to the point where she was completely buzzed, it felt good to open a bottle every now and then.

Not for the first time, a knot of worry formed in the pit of her stomach as Ada recalled the black veins along Tony's neck. His behavior hadn't been completely off the charts, but there was something almost… strange over the last few weeks. She couldn't explain his odd habits or the way he'd been acting, but she knew _something_ wasn't right.

"So, you're suggesting those black veins I've been seeing on his neck aren't normal?" Ada guessed, earning a look of surprise from the redhead.

"Ada Stark!"

Ada bit back a groan at the sound of an annoyingly familiar voice. Natalie used this as a chance to slip away before she could interrogate her any further.

"Justin Hammer, what a… _pleasant_ surprise," she greeted him in a honey-sweet voice, desperately trying to mask her annoyance.

The older man took her hand and shook it as a gesture for the reporters to take note of. Which only added to her aggravation. Even if she acted beyond her age, she was still only sixteen. The thought of dating someone who could easily pass as Tony's age (she wasn't even going to go there, for his sake), disgusted her.

"You know, I never knew the daughter of Anthony Stark could look so… pretty," he started, eyeing her up and down as she held a glass of gin in hand. By now, she was struggling to fight the vile in her throat, "I have to say, it would be quite the opportunity for me to get to know you a little better, in a more _private_ setting."

"Look, Hammer, for one thing, that's beyond disgusting, and for another, I'm his _adopted_ daughter," she retorted, eyes narrowing as Hammer just couldn't seem to take the hint. "Besides, there's about a hundred other men I would rather date around here."

The fact that he was flirting with her in the first place only added to her disgust. She could easily press charges against him, but she knew that would only end in disaster. Instead, she decided to remain passive aggressive. If he made a move, then she could use that as an excuse to fight back.

"Well, I had no idea…" By now, his hands were snaking their way around her waist, and it took everything Ada had not to slug him right then and there, "Maybe I can still buy you a drink, then? You seem fond of them."

Faster than he could react, Ada suddenly grabbed hold of his wrist and twisted it at an awkward angle. The moment she heard a distinctive cracking noise was when Ada hid knowing a smirk. Hammer let out a yelp of pain when he realized she'd broken his wrist. He quickly pulled his hands away and stood a few inches away from her, eyes widening in panic.

Other people had noticed Hammer's intentions, though. People such as Christine Everheart, the ever-annoying news reporter Tony had flounced around with a couple of years ago. Her eyes were narrowed when Hammer tried putting his now broken wrist in a bucket of ice to keep himself from screaming.

"Look who it is, my least favorite person in the room!" Tony clasped his hands together as he reached Hammer, a sly grin written across his face. Despite that, though, Ada could see the fury flashing across his eyes. He'd seen everything, and wasn't taking any shit from Hammer. Not this time. He reached out a hand, and Hammer just stared at him incredulously, as if he wasn't sure what to do with it, "And here, I didn't think I invited you."

"I was invited by Christine Everheart," he retorted as he finally shook Tony's hand, with his left hand. He was still holding his other hand awkwardly after the matter, glaring daggers at Ada while she stood beside her father with her arms crossed, "You know, I could press charges against your kid for orderly misconduct, and hurting a civilian."

"And I could press a dozen more charges over the fact that you just tried flirting with my daughter." The icy tone of Tony's voice was enough for Hammer's eyes to widen in horror, slightly, "Need I remind you that she's just a miner?"

"A miner who can and isn't afraid to kick your sorry ass if you try that move on me, again," she added with a snort of laughter, ignoring the incredulous glare Hammer was giving her.

He'd learned his lesson, as far as Ada was concerned. Never mess with the Stark's. Not even on their worst days. He immediately tried regaining his composure as Christine joined him seconds later, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

"By the way, this is the new CEO of Stark Industries," he changed the subject when Pepper reached Tony's other side, narrowing her eyes when she caught the tension between them all.

She might not have seen the confrontation unfold, but she did know how uneasy Tony was around Hammer in the first place. Ada nearly rolled her eyes when she realized that Hammer was at least wise enough to know when he should back down.

"I know, I know," Christine offered a warm smile to Pepper after congratulating her, "And, my editor would kill me if I didn't take the opportunity to get a quote from you. Would you mind?" There was a pause as she looked at Ada, as well, "Actually I was hoping to get a quote from the both of you, seeing as you know Mr. Stark better than most people."

"I think I'll give Pepper the spotlight, for this one," Ada turned down the offer, hating interviews to begin with, "After all, this is a huge achievement for anyone."

Christine's face fell when she realized Ada wasn't in the mood for an interview. She hated them, not only because people rarely saw the real her through them, but because the reporters in question always took everything out of contrast.

"Oh, of course, but—"

Hammer cut her off before she could continue, "She's actually doing a spread on me about the Stark Expo."

A panicked look flashed across Tony's face at the mention of 'spread'. Ada nearly laughed at Tony's expression. She had stayed at Pepper's apartment at the time when Christine was with Tony that night. She never took part in whatever crap Tony put women through. The worst part of those nights had been knowing what he was up to at the time. Tony had tried explaining to her in the best way possible that there was nothing wrong with what he did. But she knew well enough to know that it was better not to ask questions and stay with Pepper during those kind of nights.

"Yes, well, she did quite a… spread on Tony, last year," Pepper intervened when she caught the panic written across Tony's face.

"You should not be part of this," Tony whispered to Ada, who only rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time.

Her aggravation only got worse when she caught the sly look Hammer gave her. Maybe he _hadn't_ learned his lesson after all. She would have thought that by now, he would realize she was off limits. She struggled to maintain her composure throughout the conversation.

"You really think I don't know what goes on behind those doors?" she scoffed, ignoring the look he gave her, "I'm old enough to understand. Besides, Pepper already beat you to the birds and bees talk."

Tony's eyes widened to the size of full-moons, and for a moment, it looked as if she saw his cheeks turn a faint shade of red. Relief swept through Ada when Pepper finally had the decency to excuse themselves from the conversation. Tony was fully ready to argue with them, desperate to get away from the already awkward conversation before it got any worse when he thought better of it.

"You handled Hammer perfectly, Ada," Pepper congratulated her once they were far enough away.

Ada couldn't hide the smirk that followed, "He was asking for an ass-kicking. I just wish I could've done it again when he brought up his story with Christine."

Pepper just looked at her in amusement. For a moment, Ada suddenly felt as if she was normal again as she leaned into Pepper. Moments like these were rare, nowadays. With Pepper busy as the CEO of Stark Industries, they didn't get to see each other as often. She'd always seen Pepper as a mother-figure, and probably because it was Pepper who had always been there for her.

 _Should I tell her about my powers_? she wondered absentmindedly. If there was anyone she could trust with such knowledge, it was Pepper.

"Pepper, I think—"

Before Ada could even say anything, she saw something on the television screen that made her think twice about telling the truth. Pepper's own eyes widened in disbelief when she too spotted Tony climbing into a race car. The driver in question was swearing a dozen colorful words after he was thrown out of his seat.

"Natalie, get Happy," Pepper ordered the redhead when she tried apologizing for not keeping a better eye on Tony. Pepper turned to Ada, whose face fell at the sight of Tony putting himself in harms way, again. After the way he'd been acting over the last couple of weeks, she knew she shouldn't have been so surprised with his reckless behavior, "Ada, Tony would kill me if I let you anywhere near this."

"He's my father," Ada snapped, eyes narrowing with defiance, "You try and stop me."

She let out a sigh of frustration as the car pulled up. Happy was in the driver's seat with the Iron Man suitcase. It was a device both Tony and Ada had worked on, specifically for moments like this. As Pepper got in she shot Ada another desperate look, but she only shook her head.

"Guys, I'll meet you there," she told them.

Before either of them could argue Ada started running. She wasn't even sure where the boost of speed had come from, but, she used it to my advantage. It wasn't long before she reached the gate that opened up to the track.

The panicked cries of the crowd could be heard as Ada got inside, only to see what looked like a man with whip-like electrical arms. Her heart was racing as he threw one of the whips towards the crowd rushing to get out.

In one quick move, the world around her suddenly changed from that of excitement to complete and utter chaos. Without thinking, Ada threw a wall of water between them, concentrating as much as she could. The last thing she wanted was for them to get caught in the crossfire. The panicking crowd had stopped their shouting, too shocked to speak.

All she could see was her father staring at the tan-skinned man with graying brown hair approaching him. The fear in his eyes was obvious. He had no means of escape unless Happy got here in time. She had no other choice but to stop this guy before things got out of hand.

Ada ran down the race track so that she got close enough to see what was really going on. The man approaching Tony had thrown one of his whips at the car, cutting half of it off. In a split second, he threw the whip again, cutting the other half off. By now, Tony was making a feeble attempt at getting away.

"Leave him alone!" Ada suddenly shouted.

The attacker suddenly whirled around, realizing that he was not alone. She rolled to the side as he threw a whip in her direction, narrowly avoiding getting shocked. She could hear Tony's shouting in the background, but, her attention was on the attacker.

That was when things started to go wrong. One of his whips suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. She held back a yelp of pain as energy coursed through her. This sort of pain was nothing compared to when she had put on that necklace. The man raised an eyebrow when she held on to the whip. With one strike she managed to throw a ball of fire directly into his face. By now, Tony had stopped his shouting, he was only staring at her in disbelief.

The man attacking her had finally released his grip on her arms, struggling to cool off his now burning flesh. Ada didn't give him a chance to recover from the shock of her attack. She threw another fireball at him, fueled by anger towards the fact that he'd attacked Tony. The fireballs didn't stop until he slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

"You lose," he finally rasped in a heavy Russian accent.

A shiver of dread swept through Ada as the limo finally reached the race track. Tony managed to stand up, still shaken from what had happened. Panic crawled through Ada as she realized that Tony had seen everything. He'd seen everything, and probably had about a dozen questions to ask now.

"Ada, wait!" Tony's cries fell on deaf ears as she bolted before he could reach her.

She had to get away from there. Away from the people who raised her. The overwhelming fear that she'd hurt him, and everyone else suddenly came crashing down on her. All that mattered was keeping them safe, and that meant getting away before things could get any worse.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

" _When the world shakes, Feel my heart race When the voices start again, Oh, the panics creeping in Who will I listen to, Fear never told the truth So I'll wait on You tonight, Worries only wasted time..._ " - Afraid, Tenth Avenue North

* * *

She wasn't sure how long she had been on the run. A few hours or so might have swung by without her realizing it. The problem was, she was in a foreign country. True, she could speak the language with ease and get around that way, but by now, most of the people had likely already seen the news. She was surprised that people hadn't already tried hounding her; a few bystanders had recognized her, but, they'd ignored her presence for the most part.

Ada squeezed her eyes shut as she pictured the look written across Tony's face. He had been terrified when he saw what she could do. She'd let go of her anger on some asshole who planned on killing him. That kind of anger had been seen in her powers. What horrified her more than anything, though, was that she could have just as easily done that to Tony. Thoughts of actually hurting him sent shivers of fear through her. There was always that possibility. Coulson had always been the one to reassure her that she wasn't hurting anyone, and that SHIELD would always be there if anything did happen.

She finally had to stop for a small break and to catch her breath. She'd reached the outskirts of a large city, noting that the streets and sidewalks were relatively empty because it was so late. Only a few people were walking down the otherwise quiet sidewalks, looking at Ada curiously when they noticed her. Relief swept through her when she realized they were going about their usual business as well. The good news about being young was that she could blend in with the territory if she needed to. Few people seemed to recognize her, which was a good thing. The last thing she wanted was for them to figure out who she was, and for them to call the cops on her.

Her heart was still racing with dread as she leaned against a building and stared at the ground. She hardly noticed the tears forming at the edge of her vision as she thought of how things had escalated from bad to worse within seconds. She suddenly wished that she could turn back the clock and prevent any of this from happening. Anything was better than facing the bitter truth in front of her. She always wanted to tell Tony about her powers. The problem was, she never knew how he would react until then.

 _Why was I born with these powers_? she wondered bitterly, knowing that most humans weren't born with powers like hers. True, there were mutants with the X-Gene that was factored into the system. But, that was a whole different story. Besides, something told her that she would have known if she was a mutant. No, these powers had developed shortly after she was adopted.

She peered inside the window of a cafe where a few patrons were sitting and watching the news scroll by on a television mounted on the corner wall. Ada felt her heart nearly skip a beat when she noticed that _she_ was the main source of the news that evening. She knew it wouldn't be long before the police tracked her down, or worse. She thought of calling SHIELD for backup, but she'd left her phone back at the hotel.

The panic she felt earlier suddenly returned full-force. Worry over how people would react to her powers clouded her thoughts. There was still the small part of her that feared Tony would never accept her now that he knew. That she would have to live on her own from now on.

"So, the little mouse finally decides to show her true self."

Her blood ran cold when she heard that voice. Ada peered over her shoulder, eyes widening when she saw a tall, dark looking man glaring down at her. Most of his face was covered in a mask of sorts. He wore a trench coat to keep himself protected from public view, and he hid most of himself in the shadows. Ada's face faltered when she noticed the cold look he was giving her, and the fact that he was hiding what looked like a weapon within his trench coat.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice from sounding shaken.

She failed miserably as the man in question stepped out of the shadows. Ada felt her heart racing even faster than she thought humanly possible as he loomed over her. His presence was enough to leave her shaking with dread. She couldn't explain the feeling that swept through her. Whoever this stranger was, her instincts were screaming at her to get as far away as possible. Though, there weren't many options she had as far as running away was concerned.

"It is good to see that you are so naive; that makes my job much easier," the man laughed as he pulled out what looked like a knife. Her eyes narrowed at the object, realization dawning on her that he was about to strike. "You see, we come from a long line of descendants who are trained to kill people like you, Miss Stark." The words came out in a sneer, sending shivers of dread through Ada, "We have been watching, waiting for the right signs to see if the legends were true."

Ada was about to spit something in response when the air around them suddenly changed. The man's smirk of triumph faded into a scowl as a helicopter came descending down upon them. Relief swept through Ada once more when she recognized the helicopter in question. Low and behold, Clint was piloting the helicopter while Coulson leaned onto the door, clinging onto the railing for dear life as they hovered there for a few minutes. She glanced in the direction where the asshole in question had been standing, only to see that he vanished.

"Get in," Coulson ordered, his voice rising over the roar of the engine.

She hesitated, frowning as she wondered how SHIELD had gotten her location. Though, when she thought about it, this was _SHIELD_. With a sigh, she reached the latter that was thrown down and allowed herself to be pulled up. She hardly had time to notice the asshole that had approached her earlier was still hidden in the shadows.

…

"Tony!" He stopped his pacing when they reached the hotel lobby. By now, a crowd was gathered inside, but he ignored them. Pepper's shouting was really starting to unnerve him. "Tony, stop!" She suddenly pulled him back by the shoulder, and he turned to face her. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?" she demanded.

"I need to find her," he replied, trying to avoid her questioning gaze. After seeing what she did to protect those people, and himself, it only added to the need to find her. To make things right again. "Look, Peps, I never told you this, but I did adopt her for a reason." Pepper raised an eyebrow. "But, we need to discuss this in a more… private room," he added warily.

Before Pepper could protest, he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into the nearest room. At least here, there were no security cameras or paparazzi to watch over them. The last thing they needed, at the moment was to deal with the media. The press had a tendency to make things ten times worse, and with Ada running away, Tony wasn't in the mood to deal with them. He tried so hard to keep her out of that kind of life. But it was only a matter of time before she was dragged into it because of the mistakes he made.

"Okay Tony, what the hell is going on?"

Pepper stopped so that she was facing him. She didn't look angry like he was expecting, only worried. She had just as much to do with Ada as he did. Hell, Ada saw Pepper as more of her mother-figure than she probably did with Tony as her father-figure, as much as that pained him.

"You remember that night? When I got a phone call?" he asked once she calmed down. She nodded and he went on, "That was a call from Phil Coulson."

Pepper's eyes lit up at the name. They both remembered Coulson all too well from when Iron Man was first announced. He was the one who took Ada in before she was sent to the orphanage. He was the one who fed her, who named her and even kept a careful eye on her when Tony couldn't. She always had a guardian watching over her, and now, she didn't. The thought was terrifying, to say the least.

"What does he have to do with Ada running away? And when did she start developing those powers? And, what is she?"

Pepper kept spitting out questions, making the situation even more awkward for poor Tony. He let out a sigh of frustration until she stopped talking, confused by his actions. Not that he didn't blame her for her confusion. Given the circumstances, adopting a child in the first place had been so out of the blue that even _he_ questioned SHIELD's motives at the time. The only thing he did know was that adopting Ada had been the right thing to do.

"Coulson was the one who told me to adopt her; when SHIELD got their hands on her while she was an infant, they _knew_ something was different about her," he explained. "When he sent me the files on her and where she came from, I agreed." Pepper looked at him curiously this time. She had never seen him this worried before. It was so strange, realizing that he actually cared about Ada. He was finally beginning to show a side of himself that he rarely did around others. "We need to find her, before _they_ do."

This time it was Pepper's turn to let out a sigh of irritation.

"Okay, who is _they_?" she asked.

…

The helicopter finally landed in a location that was not far from where Doctor Bruce Banner was last spotted. Ada had kept mostly to herself when she climbed into the helicopter, wrapping her arms around her legs as she stared out the windows until South America came into view. She wasn't surprised to find that SHIELD had a secret underground base in South America. SHIELD had bases just about everywhere where agents could regroup and collect necessary resources while out on the field.

By now, it was early in the morning. Exhaustion crept through Ada, and she wasn't in any mood to talk with anyone. Recent events had left her in a sour mood. She hadn't gotten much sleep during their flight. With Coulson keeping an eye on her while Clint piloted the helicopter, she knew he'd ask questions regarding her most recent run.

"You okay?" Coulson's question caught Ada off guard.

She glanced at the older man, not missing the way he was eyeing her with concern.

Coulson had always been far more supportive than most of the agents within SHIELD. His patience was something that had always taken Ada by surprise. Even with agents like Clint, who could be a bit of loose cannon when pissed off, he had patience for. He'd become more than just a handler for her. Maybe that was why she found it easy to talk to him. After all, Coulson looked out for her in ways that even Tony never did.

She let out a sigh, and looked at nothing in particular. Her hand opened a bit as flames danced along the tips of her fingers.

"I was planning on telling them when they were ready," she explained warily. Coulson gave a faint nod of understanding and sat down beside her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, "Now, with this asshole on the loose, I don't know how I can face them again."

Ada squeezed her eyes shut, picturing that woman who died in front of her. What made it worse was knowing that she had sacrificed herself for the baby she had fought so hard to protect. Ada knew there was a connection between the baby and herself. The nightmares were only getting worse, and she couldn't help but imagine that they weren't going to get any better.

"Ada." Coulson took her by surprise when he squeezed her shoulder gently, "Look, Stark may not be the easiest man to get along with—"

"Just Stark?" Clint's voice sounded from the cockpit as he overheard the conversation. Ada just rolled her eyes at the amusement in his voice, "The both of you are so much alike, that it's hard to believe you're not blood relatives."

"Ass," Ada muttered under her breath, earning a laugh from the archer.

"What I mean to say is," Coulson continued after pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "That he cares about you. More than you probably even realize."

She couldn't hide the small smile that followed, "Thanks, Coulson," she murmured.

The tension from earlier seemed to dissipate as the helicopter made a smooth landing on a pad. Since there was technically no airport, landing itself was dicey. Luckily, Clint was one of the best pilots Ada could have asked for. She grudgingly admitted that at one point or another during their sparring sessions.

Once they landed, Ada hopped out of the helicopter and made her way down to the base where she was surrounded by narrow hallways. Coulson and Clint had already retreated to the back of the base while she was met by Director Fury. How he moved from one location to the other when said location was so far was beyond her. She didn't plan asking anytime soon, though. She was just thankful to see another familiar face after the madness of yesterday.

"Agent Stark, it might be in your best interests to lay low for the next few weeks," Fury informed her once they'd reached a ridiculously small office. She glanced over her shoulder to where Coulson and Clint had disappeared, suddenly wishing she could have joined them. She knew where this was headed – Fury likely already had a contingency plan in place for something like this, "The press would have a field day if they got their hands on you, especially in light of recent events."

As if he'd read her mind, he tossed her a paper on the desk so she could see the front page.

Ada's brows furrowed in annoyance when she read the headlines: ' _Miss Ada Stark: Freak or Daughter of the Year_?'

"I had no intentions of using my powers in public," she muttered crossly, frowning at the thought of now having to face the consequences of what had happened, "That asshole gave me no choice. He was going to kill Tony."

"Be that as it may, the public now knows that you have powers," Fury deadpanned, the tone of his voice serious as his eye landed on her, "And, so does Stark. Until we know for sure how he's going to react to your powers, it's better that you lay low."

She chewed the bottom of her lip as doubt clouded her mind. Doubt that Tony would accept her when this was all over. Doubt that she would ever feel accepted in the world, and worse still, doubt that she was now 'agent' material. She remembered hearing Fury mention that the Council had given him a hard enough time allowing a kid to join the agency. Let alone someone with powers like hers. If they made it that difficult, now, she could only imagine how they would react when they found out she was on a sanctioned mission to find Banner.

"So, what am I supposed to do for the time being?" she asked, knowing that she couldn't just sit idly by.

Fury had already pulled out a dozen files and spread them across the desk. Some of them were old, while others were new. Most interestingly enough, were the pictures that caught Ada's attention. She grabbed one picture that stood out, and rose an eyebrow as she saw the person in the photo.

It was a picture of a man in his late twenties, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. She recognized him as none other than Doctor Bruce Banner.

"We've managed to find the location of Doctor Banner," Fury explained after pulling out one file in particular. Numerous reports on Gamma radiation and tests could be seen, along with a file on the accident which led to something all-together more interesting, "He's in Ecuador, trying to work as a canning factory worker."

Ada frowned as she watched the video play out on another picture he showed her, this one more recent the one she held. Now, it showed a picture of a man who looked as if he was trying to blend in. She had no doubt he'd faced difficult times being on the run, and was desperately trying to find a cure for whatever had happened to him that night in the lab.

"So, he's on the run because he's afraid of the military finding him," she guessed out loud, "And you want me to find him before they do."

"Ada, listen," Fury sighed after noticing the reluctance in her voice, "Doctor Banner's going to be afraid. Nervous people tend to do stupid things when they're on the run. The only reason I'm asking you to do this is because you can relate to him."

"Gee, thanks," she muttered under her breath, "That makes me feel so much better."

She knew she would take the case, though. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do, now that the world knew what she could do. Going back to Tony was out of the question, at the moment. Besides, this was a good way to truly test her grit out on the field.

* * *

 **AN: I have a new poll on my profile in case anyone cares, regarding the future of any previous story I have prior to 2017. Please, check it out!**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**AN: I have an important poll posted on my profile! Please be sure to check it out; I don't want to make any rash decisions without giving some warning. Also, Spanish is obviously not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes that might have been made through Google Translate.**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

" _And I don't mind you disappearing, 'Cause I know you can be found We be liven' on the dark side of the street, damn., When we livin' in the moment And losing our grasp, Making it last with the grand parade in our past..._ " - In Reverse, The War on Drugs

* * *

Fury had given Ada a lot of clearance, considering she was still fairly new to the agency. After getting a full night's sleep and finally recovering from the incident two days ago, Ada now found herself wandering down the city in the hopes of blending in.

That alone was easier said than done. There weren't too many teenagers wandering down the bustling sidewalks of an Ecuadorian city. She was suddenly grateful that she could speak a dozen languages. Spanish was the primary language here, and luckily, the people were friendlier than they looked. Most of them were willing to give her directions to where she needed to go, if not a bit suspicious about why she was there in the first place.

The city itself was huge and incredible looking. While it was clearly an old third-world city with problems of its own, the people, the culture, and everything else fascinated Ada. Homes were built into the mountains that overlooked one another, painted in bright, vibrant colors. She was amazed that they were capable of building such homes on top of one another, and, despite them being so close together, she could see that the people got along, for the most part.

"Are you sure this is where he was last seen?" she asked through her earpiece.

She was thankful she'd taken one with her before parting ways with Clint. He'd dropped her off at the outskirts of the city once everything was said and done, and she had gathered enough material to last while she was out on the move.

"Positive," the archer replied, sounding more bored than anything else, "Now, keep quiet, and try not to get yourself killed while out there."

"You're a piss-ass, Barton," she snapped, ignoring the fit of laughter that followed in the background.

 _Idiot_ , she thought, glancing around as she caught a couple of pedestrians watching her curiously. She'd joined a group of local kids earlier in the day during a game of soccer, and she had found it surprisingly pleasant when they welcomed her with open arms. Soccer itself was a big deal in the city, and they'd been more than eager to have an extra teammate at the time. She had to admit, she loved moments like these where she was just accepted.

"¿Puedo ayudarle con algo?" Ada whirled around at the sound of an elderly woman's voice, eyes widening when she saw the woman herself staring at Ada curiously.

The question came so suddenly that Ada wasn't expecting it, especially from an elderly person who clearly wanted nothing to do with outsiders. She tried to hide the unease that followed. After the incident with Tony and Monaco, she wasn't in any hurry to give away her position.

"No gracias," she replied, offering a warm smile.

The woman returned the gesture, looking genuinely surprised with her manners before going about her business. Ada waited until the woman was gone before taking her sunglasses off and putting a hat on instead. Her hair was already tied back in a ponytail, so at least that made her task a little easier.

Finally, after wandering for what seemed like hours, again, Ada managed to reach what appeared to be the factory where Banner was last seen working. As far as she could tell, it was the only place where people seemed to get a decent paying job. She rose an eyebrow in surprise, noticing that it was a soda canning company.

"¿Puede usted hacer una pregunta, señor?" she asked when she reached what appeared to be a well-dressed man wearing a badge to identify his position, "Me preguntaba si conocías a un doctor Bruce Banner?"

The man in question just looked at Ada in surprise. He clearly wasn't expecting a young girl to approach him, or for her to ask him such a question. His eyes narrowed with suspicion before he reluctantly nodded. He called Banner's name, and the doctor in question reached them within minutes.

"This is Bruce Banner," the man told Ada when the doctor in question reached them. She hadn't missed the questioning look written across Banner's face, and, she couldn't blame him for his confusion, or suspicion. "Sabes quien es?" he added in Spanish.

"Sí, lo reconozco. Él es mi padre," Ada replied without hesitation. Banner narrowed his eyes at that, and he was ready to open his mouth and argue when Ada cut him off, "Lamento que me haya llevado tanto tiempo llegar. Esperaba poder preguntarte algo en privado."

It didn't take long for Banner to understand the double-meaning behind her plea. She knew it was risky trying to get a man on the run to talk with her. Especially if said man was as dangerous as everyone claimed. But, Ada wasn't afraid. Instead, a new sense of determination swept through her as their eyes met.

Banner finally nodded in agreement, mentioning something to his boss before gesturing for Ada to meet him outside the warehouse. She did just that, eager to get out of the place without getting caught by one of the other employees.

"No soy tu padre, chico," Banner told her, eyes narrowing once they were outside.

"¿Habla usted Inglés?" she suddenly asked, earning a look of surprise from Banner. Finally, he gave a slight nod after looking at her for a few seconds, as if debating whether he should run or not. "Look, I know you're not my father, and I know I'm taking a big risk just by talking to you," she started, "But, I wanted to talk with you."

For a moment, Banner looked taken aback by her sudden change in attitude, "If you're here to kill me, that will end badly, for everyone," he warned her.

"I'm not here to kill you," she reassured him with a charming smile, "Actually, I was rather hoping I could have a place to crash before I start moving, again. Would you mind if we got to know each other better along the way?"

He just stared at her for a few seconds, as if he wasn't sure what to make of that question. Ada struggled to keep her voice honey-sweet, knowing that would make all the differences. All she wanted now was to make sure that Banner did stay out of the hands of the military.

"Alright, fine," he sighed after realizing she wasn't a threat, "But, you can't stay for long."

That was enough for her. Ada beamed at the thought, following Banner as she thought of the endless possibilities that would lead to their next conversation. She just hoped he didn't catch on to the fact that she worked for SHIELD. Otherwise, there would be hell to pay.

…

"So, where are you from?"

They were making their way through a busy marketplace as Banner guided Ada to some unknown location. She knew she would have to keep her guard up around him. Flighty people were dangerous. Seeing how uneasy he was as he rounded the corner and headed towards a shady part of the area only confirmed her suspicions.

 _Keep it together, Stark_ , she mentally scolded herself, knowing that she couldn't blow her cover, now of all times. Banner tried keeping things as casual as possible by making light talk between them. It was incredibly awkward since they hardly knew each other, and Ada was already feeling wary enough around him. Though, the feelings were entirely mutual when he kept looking over his shoulder in her direction.

"I'm from California," she explained, the tone of her voice curt as she caught the look Banner gave her.

It technically wasn't a lie. She just didn't know where she was born. She hated not knowing. A small part of her always wished that her birth mother would have at least left a note, or something to tell the caretakers at the orphanage where she had been born.

"So, what would a random citizen all the way from the United States be doing here in Ecuador, looking for someone like me?" Banner asked, the suspicion still lingering in his voice.

They'd already stopped at a random, dumpy looking truck where a creepy looking guy was waiting for Banner. Ada rose an eyebrow skeptically as the guy in question said something, and Banner subtly handed him a wad of cash. She narrowed her eyes after realizing that the guy had handed Banner what appeared to be a plastic bag, filled with some kind of plant material.

"Was that a drug deal I just witnessed?" she demanded once they were far enough away, earning a coy look from Banner.

"No, it wasn't," he reassured her, though she could tell he was just lying through his teeth.

"Really? Because it seemed like it was," she muttered under her breath.

She knew she was testing his patience. Banner could easily hurt her if he wanted to. Judging from the look of annoyance he gave her, she knew he was thinking the same thing. Instead of saying anything, Ada kept her mouth shut and followed Banner until they reached an older looking part of town.

They slowly made their way up several flights of stairs that led from one home to another. The homes in Ecuador were practically on top of each other. With space in such short supply, Ada could see why they had built the homes like this. Though, she wondered what people would with one another if they weren't overly fond with their neighbors. She could already imagine the fights that would break out among neighbors if they didn't get along. She had to remind herself that these people lived in an entirely different culture, and that she was just the visitor.

"Look, kid, you really shouldn't be following me here, in the first place; you really have no idea just how dangerous that is," Banner said after they'd reached what she guessed was the final flight of stairs.

"Nice try," she snorted in response, glaring back as Banner looked at her in frustration, "I've gone this far without getting myself killed; I think I'll take my chances."

Banner let out a sigh of frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose. She knew she was pushing her luck, especially given his condition. Though, something told her that Banner wouldn't attack unless it was necessary.

"Are you always this stubborn with adults?" he grumbled, looking like he was at his wits end.

She couldn't hide the sheepish smirk that followed, "Of course, not. I just know that you need the company, and that you are probably going to do something stupid with those plants."

It took a moment for those words to sink in. Banner looked between Ada and the paper bag he held in one hand. Then, he rubbed his face and let out another heavy sigh before gesturing for what she could only assume was his apartment.

Once inside, Ada could see that the place wasn't half-bad looking, all things considered.

The apartment itself was decorated with a small sofa in one corner of the room, a small bed in the other corner, and a tiny kitchen with a fridge, stove and sink. Ada spotted an old looking desk placed in front of the window not far from the kitchen, with an old looking laptop sitting on top of it, and an old television placed in front of the sofa. Everything about the place reminded her of someone who wanted to stay off the grid, yet remain connected with the world in their own way.

When she was finished taking everything in, Ada started at the sight of a dog resting on the floor. The dog immediately rose upon Banner's arrival, giving Ada a curious sniff before reaching Banner's side and greeting him with a tail-wag.

"There's a snack in the fridge, if you're hungry," Banner gestured to the small fridge after giving the dog something to eat.

"I can live a few days without food," she replied with a shrug, "So, who's your friend?"

She couldn't resist rubbing the dog between his ears. It had been a long time since she asked Tony for a pet. He'd always told her 'no', simply because he had neither the time nor the patience to take care of a pet. That was what he built Dummy, the robotic arm for.

"He doesn't really have a name," Banner replied as he grabbed the laptop and opened it up. Ada kept her distance, suddenly aware that Banner was still a complete stranger. While she'd read enough files on him to know that he was a scientist and a doctor at heart, that didn't mean she should trust him, "Speaking of names, you haven't given me yours."

"Oh, sorry," she murmured, suddenly feeling embarrassed that she hadn't mentioned anything. She was sitting on the floor beside the dog, who seemed to take a shining to her. His head rested on her lap as she scratched him between the ears, using him as a distraction from the situation at hand, "My name is Ada."

Banner looked at her curiously, this time, when he realized it wasn't a name people were normally given. Then again, she wasn't exactly normal to begin with. Her life had been anything but normal, from day one, as far as she was concerned.

"No last name?" He sounded almost bored as the laptop finally switched on.

He already reached for the bag that he'd picked up from the shady dealer. Ada watched curiously, eyeing the object he pulled out with suspicion. Surprisingly, it was a flower, with pretty white petals surrounding the head. Banner himself eyed the flower with wonder before taking it over to the kitchen and setting it on a tray table.

"Not really," she finally answered, realizing he was waiting for one, "I've never known my parents."

At least it was the truth. She never knew her birth parents. Tony and Pepper were the ones who raised her, along with Rhodes and even Happy. She had never felt offended when people brought up her parents by birth. There was a time when she wanted nothing more than to know who they were. But she realized that they had given her up so that she could live a better life. Tony and the others had done just that, and so much more.

"So, your parents are dead," he concluded.

Ada's face faltered, slightly. She had to admit, when he brought it up, she knew that there was so little she understood of her own heritage or who her parents by birth really were. She'd never seen their faces, or heard anything from even SHIELD. Instead, Ada was left in the dark when it came to her true heritage. She pictured the woman that was slain in front of her, who had fought so hard to protect that baby. Whether there was a connection between them or not, Ada didn't know.

"What are you doing?" she asked, deciding it was better to change the subject.

She hadn't missed the look Banner gave her, one of caution and worry. Eventually, he finally let her join him beside the computer desk, which she obliged willingly. She eyed the screen curiously and noticed a communication line was open, with the names, 'Mr. Green' and 'Mr. Blue' on the screen itself.

"I'm working on… something," he explained, carefully avoiding the main reason behind his research, "If my theory is correct, this flower should help with my… condition."

A message suddenly appeared on the screen. Ada couldn't help but read the message warily, already aware that Banner was trying to figure out a 'cure' for his 'problem', ' _Make sure you use enough of a dose_ ,' replied Mr. Blue.

With one final look at Banner, Ada decided to leave him be, for the time being. She knew better than to push someone, especially with the 'condition' Banner had mentioned.

Ada sat down beside the dog as his tail wagged instinctively. She couldn't resist rubbing his ears once more, finding his company surprisingly suitable. Since she never had a dog while growing up, she decided this was the next best thing. Time seemed to drag on before she finally looked at Banner once more, only to see him rubbing his temple.

"It didn't work," he sighed in frustration, tossing what was left of the plant into the trash.

"I know it isn't necessarily in my place to ask, since I'm just the house guest here, and an unwelcome one at that, but why are you putting yourself through this?" she asked hesitantly.

Banner looked at her strangely when she mentioned that she was an 'unwelcome' house guest. It was true, and she knew it. The only reason Banner was letting her stay in the first place was because he'd taken pity on her.

"Look, the research I'm working on is something that's beyond your understanding," he tried pushing her away, "Let's just say that I've been looking for a cure to my condition for a few months, now." He paused to let this new information sink in, "I'm doing this, because I don't want to hurt anyone. Before I got here, I…"

Pity for what had happened to him suddenly swept through her. Ada couldn't imagine what that must have been like, to go through a transformation like that, and to have no control over it. Banner couldn't have even been aware, at the time, that he had transformed into something that hurt people. And now, others were hunting him down because of it.

She suddenly reached out for Banner's hand, squeezing it gently. Banner looked at her in surprise as they sat there in silence.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, wishing there was more she could do to help him.

If anything, to make life a little more tolerable. It couldn't have been easy hiding out in a city full of strangers. Banner seemed like the kind of person who could easily adopt to a new life if he needed to. With his condition, she could see him running from city to city when people discovered what he was capable of. The thought left her feeling sympathetic as she realized he could never actually settle in one place for long without the risk of being caught.

"Thank you," he sighed after realizing that she didn't pose a threat. "You know, most kids don't act the way they do, at your age."

"That's what everyone says," she replied, offering a charming smile.

Once he'd gathered himself, Banner sent a few more messages to Mr. Blue as the night wore on. Ada found herself resting on the floor while he took the couch. While it wasn't the most comfortable sleeping position she could find herself in, it was better than nothing. Now, she was left with figuring out how to handle the situation, and what Fury would really want out of this mission. Banner deserved a chance to live a normal life, and she planned on doing whatever it took to give him that normal life.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

" _Because I'm moving on, letting go, forget the past, And giving up the ghost All we are is fading stars, life's too short to stay where we are..._ " - Moving On, Matt Kearney

* * *

A low growl formed in the back of the dog's throat. For most of that night, sleep hadn't come easily for Ada. She glanced over her shoulder to where Banner was sleeping, unsure of what had triggered the dog's wariness. With him pacing at the front door, sniffing at it every now and then, she knew something was definitely wrong.

Banner had caught onto it as well. His eyes were wide and fully awake as Ada grabbed her small bag and swung it over her shoulder. She had a feeling they were going to need to run, fast. If the army had gotten a hold of Banner's location, this wasn't going to end well.

"Out, through the back window," he suddenly ordered, his own voice dropping to a whisper.

She threw him a look before giving a faint nod of understanding. Though, she didn't plan on letting these assholes get their hands on Banner. Not when he'd already been through enough hell as it was. If there was anything she could do to keep them distracted and buy him enough time, she would try it.

"You go; I can keep them distracted," she reassured him.

"Are you out of your mind?" Banner snapped, eyes narrowing slightly until he saw flames dancing along the tips of her fingers.

"Believe me, you aren't the only one with a shady past," she deadpanned, "Now, go. If they catch you, there's no telling what sort of hell will follow."

To her relief, Banner didn't argue this time. With a sigh of frustration, he shook his head and climbed out the window. Ada used the moment of distraction as a chance to hide behind the bed. By now, the dog was barking at whoever had approached the house.

By the time she ducked for cover, darts were already fired in her direction. Ada narrowed her eyes at the darts that landed on a pillow. It didn't take a genius to know that they were using tranquilizers. They were most likely an attempt to keep Banner from slipping out of their grasp. If his condition was anything like Ada suspected, that would end in disaster.

She finally jumped out of her hiding place, kicking one of the men square in the chest when they were close enough. With their attention focused on her, she hoped it would buy Banner enough time to get away. The dog's barking had been relentless; she glanced out of the corner of her eye, not missing the fact that his fur was standing on end.

She threw a fireball at the feet of one soldier, while fighting off another. By now, the dog had attracted the attention of the invaders, and to Ada's horror, one of the invaders fired a gun at him. The yelp that followed was enough to send a shiver of dread through her.

Rage swept through Ada as she glared daggers at the invaders. It wasn't until she felt the ground trembling beneath her that she realized something was wrong. The invaders too had noticed the shaking, and were getting to their feet when the ground suddenly gave way beneath them. She felt oddly satisfied, watching their rush of panic after they realized the ground was swallowing them hole.

' _Ada, stop_ ,' a feminine voice suddenly warned her. Ada froze at the sound of the voice, feeling a shiver run through her as it sounded strangely familiar, ' _You must not use that power. You are not ready_.'

Ada shook her head, trying to clear the anger churning within her before she made a run for the window. Most of the invaders were still recovering from the tremors, which gave her enough time to slip out of their grasp.

The moment she dropped from the window and reached the ground was when she started running.

Eyes were everywhere as far as she could see. It didn't take Ada long to realize that the military must have picked up on Banner's location. They were swarming the homes, kicking open doors and questioning anyone they deemed suspicious.

Finally, she spotted Banner sprinting towards the canning factory. Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when she realized what he had in mind. She glanced out of the corner of her eyes, noticing that more men who weren't part of the military were giving chase, as well.

Banner was running to avoid hurting these people. Ada's fists clenched as she thought of the way they were treating him, and the fact that they would likely continue treating him if something wasn't done about it. A small part of her knew that if the military got their hands on Banner, it wouldn't end well for anyone.

She didn't stop running until she was just outside the factory. One of the benefits of having powers meant that she could use a trail of smoke to maintain her cover. The last thing she wanted or needed was for the military to get a hold of _her_ , either. She knew they'd be after her tail once they caught wind of the news feed in Monaco.

When she did reach the inside, Ada could hear the rapid beeping of a heart monitor. As she got closer, she spotted Banner trying to avoid a fight against three thugs. She knew that if things got out of hand, the 'Other Guy', as Banner dubbed him, would likely attack. Unease swept through Ada at the thought. She wasn't trained for such an occurrence, and she couldn't shake off the feeling that even she wouldn't be able to take him down.

Without thinking about it she began to fling water at the three thugs. What looked like the leader of the gang whirled around when he realized what was happening. Banner had finally ceased his struggling; by now, the heart rate monitor had stopped beeping.

Her feet were frozen to the ground as one of the men was grabbed by something large. Ada couldn't move even if she wanted to. She didn't realize that one of the soldiers had fired a dart at her. The last thing she heard before blacking out was a distant roar.

…

When she woke up, she found herself laying on the floor of a clearing in the middle of a jungle. The grogginess was already clearing from her mind. Ada bit back a groan, rubbing the back of her head as she noticed some of the trees had been destroyed or pulled from their roots. A large path where the 'Other Guy' had been could be made out.

She blinked in surprise, unsure of what to make of the scene until she noticed someone sleeping nearby. Ada rose an eyebrow when she saw Banner. His pants were still on, but, they were loosely fit. She hadn't missed the fact that his shirt was torn off, or that he'd fallen asleep a little ways from her.

Memories of what had happened the other night were still foggy. About the only thing she could remember was being at the canning factory. The soldiers who attacked them had vanished after hearing a distant roar. She could only assume the 'Other Guy' made sure the bastards didn't follow them.

She took a deep breath, pressing her hands together to steady her rapid breathing. When she first joined SHIELD, breathing exercises were the first thing she was taught. It was Coulson who told her that might be the best way to keep her powers in check, along with her own anger. Her breathing already began to change, until it was steady and evened. Finally, she heard Banner stir and looked at him warily.

"'Bout time you woke up, Banner."

Banner looked at her warily, hardly aware that she was sitting cross-legged with her hands pressed together while working on breathing exercises. He watched her curiously for a few seconds before shaking his head, trying to clear the grogginess from it.

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"A few hours, give or take," she replied with a shrug once they both stood up, "We're somewhere near the border of Mexico, now."

For once, Banner just looked at her apprehensively when he realized how far they had wandered. Ada had looked up the information from her phone, thankful that the GPS was still operational. She'd thought of contacting SHIELD, but she realized how risky that was with Banner in tow. He wouldn't likely trust her if she did call SHIELD, and understandably so.

She thought back to what had happened in Monaco. Tony had seen everything, along with Pepper and the rest of the world. About the only safe place Ada had, now was SHIELD. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Tony wouldn't be too thrilled if she suddenly returned and tried explaining herself.

"You know, when we were back in the factory, those men looked as if they were getting attacked by water," Banner suddenly pointed out in an accusing tone. Ada flinched at the look he was giving her. "It almost looked as if someone was _controlling_ that water."

 _I knew I would have to explain myself, sooner or later_ , she reminded herself. It was only a matter of time before word slipped out about her powers. The problem was, she didn't even know where to begin with them.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag," she muttered, shaking her head as she tried picturing the dumbfounded look Tony was giving her at the race track, "When I was nine, I discovered that I could control fire," she explained. Banner's eyes widened in surprise when a flame appeared at the palm of her open hand, as if to prove her point, "Six years later, and I soon found I could control water, as well."

She grimaced at the memory of waking up one night to find her bed sheets on fire. It had taken every ounce of courage she had to ask Pepper for new bed sheets, and to explain to Tony that they had been like that when she woke up. Worst still was trying to explain how she woke up with no injuries from the fire.

"So, you control the elements," he mused thoughtfully.

Ada looked at Banner skeptically, unsure of whether or not that was true. She'd seen what the people in her dreams were capable of. They had been wielding similar powers themselves. It made her aware that she was not the only one who could perform such tasks.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "About the only thing I am sure of, is that people are going to be afraid of something they don't understand."

That caught Banner's attention. She of all people partly understood what he was going through. After watching those people in her dreams, she knew what it was like to be hunted down and treated like a wild animal. It wasn't fair. It was cruel, and inhumane.

"So, is that why you decided to ask me of all people for help?" he asked, suddenly turning suspicious, again.

"I asked you for help because _you_ needed it," she retorted, crossing her arms when she caught the dark look flashing across his eyes.

Banner looked as if he was ready to argue, his mouth opening and closing a few times like a fish caught out of water. Eventually, he clamped his mouth shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ada knew she was already walking on thin ice. But, at least she was being honest.

"Alright," he relented when he realized she wasn't backing out of this, anytime soon, "If you really plan on sticking around, we need to get out of Mexico, and back to the states."

She nodded at that. While she knew he meant well in trying to keep her out of this, she planned on sticking with her mission at hand. Even if it meant getting her killed, in the process.

With that thought in mind, they started wandering through the jungle in uncomfortable silence. Ada found herself trying to take in the landscape rather than pay attention to Banner. This was after all her first official mission out on the field. She found the sights and sounds fascinating, between the plants life and the wildlife that surrounded them.

A few hours went by before they finally came across an unpaved road. Ada rose an eyebrow as a farmer driving a truck reached them. She knew from experience that asking strangers for help wasn't always the wisest choices. In their case, however, it would come in handy to ask someone for assistance in getting back.

Relief swept through Ada when they finally reached Mexico City. The familiar hub of the city sent another reminder to Ada that she might never get her old life back. Tony used to stop by this city during business trips, and he would bring Ada along with him when things weren't too risky. She'd often find herself exploring the marketplace, or hanging out with the local kids. Today was different, for obvious reasons.

"Hey, do you mind if we stop for a bite?" she asked once they reached the open air market.

She wasn't surprised to find it bustling with activity; customers and tourists of all types stopped by, looking at all the different goods that were stacked in stalls. Benders were shouting at the customers with prices and deals. The whole scene was chaotic, at best. Yet, Ada understood everything that was going on.

"That's fine by me," he replied, eyeing her suspiciously for a moment, "I need a new pair of pants, anyways."

"Banner, where do you need to go, anyways?" she suddenly asked.

She knew she was taking a risk at playing with his trust. But, if she wanted to get a ride, it was a necessity.

"New York," he answered after hesitating for a moment, "That's the location where the data I need should be."

With that thought in mind, they decided upon a meeting point in the middle of the marketplace until they were finished with their tasks. What surprised Ada more than anything was Banner's willingness to trust her. As reluctant as he was with the idea of letting her in, she realized she was slowly working on gaining his trust. She also knew that she could easily get him a ride back home without causing a fuss.

Once she was sure that he'd given them enough space that he wasn't within hearing range, Ada pulled out the earpiece she'd been hiding in her pocket. Not for the first time, she was thankful she had taken the device with her. She secretly hoped that anyone other than Clint would pick up. The archer may have his skills, but he was annoyingly the kind of idiot who would point out whatever flaws he could.

"This is Jimmy, filling in for communication."

Ada held back a sigh of relief at the sound of Jimmy's voice. The tech geek was one person she knew she could rely on, especially in instances like these.

"Jimmy, do you think you could possibly fetch us a ride?" she asked, glancing around warily.

If anyone caught her now, it would end in disaster.

"What's your location?" he asked, already getting to work and typing away on the computer in front of him. She quickly relayed the location, keeping her voice a whisper as she noticed a few people looking in her direction cautiously. "I'm sending a pilot in your location; should be there within an hour or two."

"Jimmy, just make sure that it doesn't have the SHIELD logo on it," Ada warned him, suddenly aware that things could take a drastic turn if Banner caught the SHIELD logo in question. "Something tells me Banner won't appreciate the fact that SHIELD is after him."

Her shoulders sagged as she thought of everything that needed to be done, from there. After making sure that she'd snagged Banner and herself a ride back to New York, she knew that she would have a lot of explaining to do. He would get suspicious, especially knowing that she managed to get a ride for the both of them.

A few minutes went by before Banner finally reached their meeting place. Ada hadn't missed the wary look he was giving her. She'd grabbed a piece of fruit in the process of waiting, and she was leaning against one of the stalls while taking a bite out of her fruit. Her relief was short-lived, when the helicopter that she ordered arrived.

People around her were beginning to make a break for it as the helicopter reached the landing area. It was a clearing in the middle of the marketplace, though, Ada suspected this wasn't necessarily meant for a helicopter landing.

"Do you have any idea how annoyed I am with this?"

Ada nearly rolled her eyes at the sound of Clint's voice. Of course, Jimmy would convince him of all people to pull off this stunt. Jimmy was smart enough not to get Fury involved, or to tell him about it.

"What the hell is this?" Banner demanded, eyes narrowing with suspicion when he noticed the garb Clint was dressed in.

"Our ride," she explained before Clint could answer, "He's sort of my trainer."

"You're damn right about that, kid," the archer muttered. To Ada's surprise, Banner gave Clint a handshake, "Name's Clint, and I'm your pilot for the day."

Reluctantly, Banner followed both Ada and Clint to the helicopter once that was addressed. She didn't blame Banner for his hesitation, or the fact that he probably hated her now. That was the downside to being part of SHIELD. It meant that she had to risk any friendships that were made along the way.

…

"You owe me for this, kid," Clint scoffed as they finally landed in the middle of a field.

Ada rolled her eyes at the remark. It was the third time he'd said that, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.

They'd flown to New York in awkward silence for most of the trip, until Clint started complaining about how ridiculous it was about pulling off such a stunt in the first place. Most importantly, how much trouble he would get in once he returned. Fury was likely going to yell his ass off not only at Clint and Jimmy for disobeying direct orders, but at Ada herself for asking them for help. At least they were able to get to the city without much trouble.

"Look, I get that Fury can be an ass in regards of making sure we stick with protocol," she retorted, shooting Clint a scathing look as he returned the gesture, "If he decides to punish you, just tell him it was my fault." Clint looked at her in surprise when he realized she was willing to take the brunt of whatever hell Fury would unleash upon them, "Thank you, for going out of your way to help us."

For once, Clint didn't know what to say. A few seconds followed before he finally gave her a mock salute and climbed back into the helicopter. Banner watched the whole scene warily as he noticed how tense they both were. The moment Clint pulled away was when he took the lead again.

"You two seem close," he remarked.

She looked at Banner thoughtfully, aware that he could have just as easily pushed her away once the helicopter landed.

"He's an asshole," she muttered, earning a look of amusement from Banner, "But, he's a good teacher. I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for his training."

Which was entirely true, as far as she would grudgingly admit out loud. Most of what she had learned over the last few months was thanks to his difficult courses. Between that and her own progress throughout SHIELD's courses, she'd quickly learned how to survive on her own.

Luckily, it didn't take them long to reach a small college town. Ada eyed the area in surprise, realizing this was where Banner must have worked on his research for Gamma poisoning. They only stopped once they reached what appeared to be a pizzeria, with the words 'Stanley's' written in bold letters on the front.

Minutes seemed to drag on when Banner knocked on the door of the front entrance. Ada shifted from foot to foot uneasily as an elderly looking man reached the door, eyes widening with recognition upon seeing Banner.

"Bruce, come in!"

She glanced over her shoulder warily, suddenly aware that this was the first time in months that she'd been in a pizzeria like this. The last time she was at a pizzeria was when Emmett had taken her on a date. She didn't normally go with Tony and Rhodes when they were in the middle of their 'talks' regarding the military and the Iron Man suit.

They were led to the back of a kitchen so that Banner could properly explain himself. The building itself didn't look as if it had changed much. Having been built in the 1920s, bar stools were placed on one side of a large counter. The dining room was on the other side, with a waiting room in the front. Stanley quickly locked the door behind them, making sure that no other customers interfered with their conversation.

"Stan, I give you my word. Whatever they said about me isn't true," Banner pleaded once they were all in the back of the room.

"No, I always knew it," Stanley replied, shaking his head, "You know how I've always felt about you two."

Ada hadn't missed the curious look Stanley gave her. She and Banner were nothing more than acquaintances. She preferred keeping it that way, especially since this was part of her mission.

"Have you talked to her?"

She rose an eyebrow at the mention of 'her'. Ada remembered reading bits and pieces of the files that regarded Elizabeth, who had been with Banner during the time of the 'incident', as he liked to call it.

"No," Banner admitted, suddenly looking guilty, "She doesn't even know I'm here."

"She is with somebody," Stanley confirmed his worst fears, "A head shrink. A nice guy."

She couldn't hide the smirk that followed when she heard the obvious distaste in Stanley's voice. Clearly, he didn't believe that. He was just saying it to make Banner feel better about himself, she suspected.

"Good, good," Banner replied, looking slightly hurt that the woman he pined for had found someone else, "Do you think you can spare a bed or two for us, for the night?"

"You can have the spare room upstairs," he assured them.

"That'd be great, thank you," Banner nodded his thanks.

"Is there anything else I can do, for you?" Stanley suddenly asked, looking more than concerned as he noticed the wariness Banner clearly showed.

"Actually, I do have a plan… but, I'll need two pizzas, and a uniform."

…

With Banner leaving for the university to deliver the pizzas and grab whatever files he could, Ada stayed back to sift through her small duffel bag. She'd carried her duffel bag around for most of the trip, bringing whatever clothing she could and minimizing whatever necessities she required. She watched as Stanley continued cleaning the dishes, shooting her curious looks along the way.

"You're the kid they were talking about on the news, aren't you?" he started, bringing up a subject Ada felt more than uncomfortable with. She flinched and looked at him warily, "The one who was adopted by Tony Stark."

"Yeah, that was a disastrous outcome," she muttered after pulling out her notebook.

She couldn't help but think back to how horrible that whole experience had been. The same fear of Tony refusing to accept her for what she was kept rushing back full-force.

She used the notebook as a distraction to keep her mind off of that incident. The leather had become worn and battered after years of abuse. Ada knew she would have to get a new one, especially since the pages were already filling up with all the dreams and visions she'd recently suffered from.

"So, what exactly are you? Some kind of mutant?" he asked curiously, aware of the tension.

So many people had asked that question. Ada frowned, and stared at the counter for a few seconds. Some small part of her knew that the people from her dreams were not mutants. The idiots that had hunted them down were not after mutants.

"It's not exactly something I like talking about," she sighed, hesitant to admit the truth. Stanley frowned when he noticed how shaken she looked, "The only thing I do know is that he might not be so accepting if I go back."

Stanley looked at her thoughtfully. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she also knew that it was partly out of fear that she might hurt Tony as well. Even Pepper had left her feeling worried that the strawberry blond might refuse to accept her.

"Look, if he cared enough to adopt you in the first place, something tells me he'll be more than accepting of you," he finally reassured her.

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed. He led her up the stairs to where the room was located. It may have been small, and it only had two beds, but it was better than nothing. The awkwardness of the situation only left Ada remembering that not every SHIELD mission would be comfortable at best.

"Thanks, again," she thanked him, "For everything."

"It's no problem, at all," Stanley replied, offering a smile of his own, "Any friend of Bruce is welcomed here."

Once that was said and done, he left and gave Ada a chance to relax. She did just that, finally throwing herself on the bed as a wave of exhaustion crashed over her. All she wanted now more than ever was to sleep. Hopefully, she could do just that, and she would eventually make things right with Banner in the end.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

" _Come on, Lift your spirits and toast a cheers To all the good times throughout the years, And just remember it ain't where you're from It's where you're at, It ain't who you know It's who's got your back..._ " - Lift Your Spirits, Aloe Blacc

* * *

"You find anything interesting?"

Banner froze mid-step upon his return from the university. She couldn't hide the smirk that followed. She had been sitting perched on the bed with her notebook in hand, sifting through all the old notes and files that she was keeping dialogued on her dreams and nightmares.

"Everything's gone, all wiped clean," Banner explained after recovering from his initial surprise, "We should start moving again, tomorrow."

Ada tilted her head to one side, thinking back to how careful Banner had been about getting his hands on that data. She suspected it was more to protect his own ass from the government than let them get their hands on it. Whatever the case, at least the deed was done.

"Sounds like a plan," she replied.

"Get some rest. You'll need it," Banner warned her after climbing into the bed. He paused after mulling over something, "What were you and Stanley talking about?"

That caught Ada's attention. She chewed the bottom of her lip, suddenly aware that things could go horribly wrong if he found out the truth. She hated knowing that telling the truth would likely end with him kicking her out once this was all over.

"You heard that?" she asked warily.

"Kind of," he replied, glancing at her curiously.

She let out a sigh, looking away as she thought of everything that had happened.

"Most people have learned by now that I'm Tony Stark's adopted daughter," she explained, fully aware of the look he was giving her. If he was surprised with that revelation, he gave no indication, "But, on my birthday, things went… bad."

Looking back at it, she realized that she could have hurt those people in the grandstands. Worst still, she could have caused even worse damage. The thought of causing such damage sent a shudder through her.

Memories of the first 'unofficial' mission she went on suddenly came rushing back. Civilians hadn't been hurt during the mission, but buildings had been destroyed during a firefight. She knew from experience that damaging buildings was the worst thing she could do with her powers.

"I used my powers in the public when he was attacked by some jackass who tried to kill him," she went on, swallowing hard as a lump formed in the back of her throat. "After that, I panicked and ran; I couldn't exactly face him after that."

By now, she was fighting back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her. She had abandoned them after all. They probably all knew that something was wrong. The guy that had attacked Tony was likely already captured and arrested.

"Ada…" Banner's voice was barely a whisper when he realized what was on her mind. It took him a few seconds to gather the courage and say the right thing, especially when he knew from experience what she was going through, "Ada, I know what you're thinking. Compared to me, you're not a monster."

He held out a hand and held on to hers. For the first time, she realized that he was trying to be gentle. And to her relief, it was working. She spotted the heart monitor he had purchased before returning to the building. Memories of that night in Ecuador suddenly came rushing back.

"Neither are you, Bruce," she suddenly pointed out. The look of surprise that followed was priceless. Confusion was written across his face until he realized what she was implying, "No matter what you say, or what they say about you, you are not a monster." She paused to let this sink in, knowing that he needed to hear something like this, "You… the 'Other Guy', could have just as easily killed me. But, he didn't." For once, Banner was taken aback when he realized she was right. "Speaking of 'Other Guy', I think he needs a name."

She hadn't missed the fact that he actually smiled. Considering the week he'd been having, she was relieved to see that he still smiled at all.

 _At least I'm making someone feel a little better_ , she thought.

"So, what exactly did you have in mind?" he asked curiously.

After everything they had been through, a sudden change in subject was desperately needed. Ada knew that Banner could use more than just an uplifting moment. He needed a friend. Someone who was willing to offer that kind of help.

"How about the Hulk?" she suggested.

Banner lifted an eyebrow in surprise. He seemed to contemplate over that, for a few seconds. In those few seconds, the smile became more apparent as he repeated the name in the back of his head.

"Alright. The Hulk it is," he nodded in agreement before moving to flip the switch. Ada had almost forgotten until then that it was off, "We should get moving, again."

"What's wrong?" she asked after reaching for her duffel bag and tied her hair into a messy ponytail.

She already suspected Banner had run into someone while at the university. Knowing that much, he not only put his life on the line, but anyone else with connections would get caught in the crossfire. The last thing she wanted was someone like Stanley or anyone else involved getting hurt because of the military's selfishness.

"I might have run into someone while I was at the university," he explained as they left the room.

They headed down the stairs as quickly and quietly as they could. She had been hoping to thank Stanley for helping them out. But, she doubted that was going to happen if they were in such a hurry to leave. He really did seem like a caring gentleman, especially after the advice he'd offered her.

The problem was, she hadn't missed that something was off when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Ada peered around the corner of the room nervously. A woman around Banner's age was talking quietly with Stanley. Beside her was a man who looked around the same age, one that she could only assume was the shrink Stanley had mentioned, earlier.

She glanced at Banner, not missing the look of worry flashing across his eyes. He didn't bother going down to meet with Stanley. Instead, he led the way to the backdoor. Ada flinched when she caught the look Stanley was giving her. The woman didn't seem to notice, though, and asked him a question.

She never had the chance to see Ada as she slipped quietly out of the window. Ada hardly noticed that Banner had gone ahead, leaving her behind in the process.

"Ada, remember how you mentioned that you'd take whatever punishment Fury decided to unleash?" Ada froze at the sound of Clint's voice through her earpiece.

She'd nearly forgotten that she still had it on.

"This isn't exactly a good time for that," she muttered, stiffening when she heard the sound of footsteps shuffling in the background, followed by a huff of annoyance. She recognized that sound anywhere, and had to bite back a groan of annoyance, "Hey, boss. You know, you might wanna get your lungs checked if you keep huffing and puffing like that."

"You mind telling me why you're back in the states?" She nearly rolled her eyes at the sound of Fury's voice booming in the background.

So much for keeping him out of the loop. She knew he would have found out sooner or later that Clint took one of the helicopters for a joy ride. She just hoped he would wait long enough for her to help Banner resolve his issues at hand.

"It's kind of a long story," she reluctantly admitted.

"Well, you can talk about it over breakfast."

Ada didn't need to ask what he meant by that. Her eyes narrowed as a helicopter came into view. The only thing she could do was hope that Banner didn't see this as a form of betrayal. He was already suspicious enough as it was. The last thing she wanted was to make things worse, between them.

…

Fury was waiting for her when the helicopter reached its destination. The flight itself had lasted for what felt like hours. If this was some form of punishment, Ada was thankful Banner hadn't been around to see it. Fury himself stood in front of a building she wasn't expecting to see him at.

"What's going on? What am I doing here?" she demanded after climbing out of the helicopter.

The mansion looked as if it had taken a heavy blow from a hurricane. Ada narrowed her eyes, wondering just what Tony had done to the place. If this wasn't Tony's doing, and the asshole that had tried killing him, he was going to pay.

"Your father has been going through some… difficult times," Fury informed her with a roll of his eye, "I thought that seeing you might change his attitude."

Ada bit the bottom of her lip as doubt clouded her thoughts. She couldn't shake off the guilt that swept through her, especially as she remembered the reason behind running away. She remembered seeing the tattoos along his neck, and wondered if that had anything to do with his reckless behavior recently. Pepper just assumed that he was going through a midlife crisis, but it could be something much worse.

Fury carefully led the way inside. Broken glass was scattered everywhere. Ada could see where there had been a huge fight, between Tony and whoever attacked the mansion. She kept fiddling her fingers together as she tried going over the worst-case scenarios revolving around how she would explain herself.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat upon seeing Tony himself slouching on a counter. Coulson was there as well, looking more annoyed than anything else as he talked with him. The agent in question looked in Ada's direction, hardly looking surprised with her sudden arrival. If anything, he looked more relieved than anything else. Coulson finally tapped on Tony's shoulder, causing him to stiffen in surprise until looking up.

"Ada…"

While his voice was barely a whisper, Ada didn't miss the relief within it. Though, she hadn't missed the guilt written across his face, along with what she could only assume was regret.

"Hey, dad," she finally answered, still feeling unsure of what to say.

It had been weeks since she last saw him. Knowing that much, she had no idea of how to act after everything that happened. She couldn't shake off the worry that clouded her thoughts. All that kept running through her mind was the guilt she felt for not telling him, sooner.

She barely had time to react when Tony suddenly closed the distance between them. Ada found herself melting into his warm embrace seconds later when he wrapped his arms around her. Neither Fury nor Coulson said a word or moved to interfere.

She couldn't hide the sigh of relief that followed, even if she wanted to. Ada buried her face into his shoulder, aware of the time that seemed to slow down in that moment.

"Ada… God, I thought I'd lost you," she heard Tony whisper as he held her even tighter.

Guilt stabbed at her heart when she realized what a mess he was. What a mess this whole place was. It didn't look as if he'd had a decent shower in weeks. Grease stained his clothes, and she could tell he wasn't getting decent sleep.

Not for the first time, she thought back to the black veins that had appeared along his neck. It was clear that whatever anomaly Natalie had been talking about took a toll on him. And Ada had a feeling that it was only going to get worse if it wasn't treated sooner rather than later.

"You're not angry with me?" she asked, feeling wary when she felt him flinch.

"Why would I be angry with you?" Tony stared at her in confusion.

She glanced in Fury's direction, relieved to see that both he and Coulson were giving them the space and time they needed to catch up. Sucking in a breath, Ada knew for a fact that if she didn't get this off her chest, now she would regret it later.

"Remember that day on the race track?" she asked hesitantly when they moved to the couch. At Tony's nod, Ada swallowed hard and tried explaining it best as she could, "According to the files that SHIELD has on me, I am able to control both fire and water at will… and possibly, even more elements."

She paused, letting this information sink in. Tony's eyes narrowed at the mention of SHIELD. He hadn't said anything in regards of her knowing Fury or Coulson. But, she could already see the accusation forming in his eyes when realization dawned on him.

"Wait a minute, how do you know so much about SHIELD, and how do you know about Fury?" he demanded, asking the question she dreaded to answer.

Once again, a lump formed in the back of Ada's throat. She looked down as guilt stabbed at her heart. She hated lying to him, as easy as it could be. After all, Tony had adopted her when he could have easily turned them down.

"It's kind of a long story," she murmured, refusing to make eye contact when Tony's face softened only a little. "I've been having these nightmares, since I developed my first power… about people who are like me." For a moment, Tony's mouth hung open as he realized the reasons why she hadn't been getting enough sleep. He was ready to say something when he seemed to think better of it, "But, they were hunted down in my dreams, because of their gifts." A shiver ran through her as she pictured the woman, protecting the baby and sacrificing herself, "The last one to survive was a woman, who had a baby with her. She… she sacrificed herself to save the baby, by sending it away. But, I'm not sure where."

Shock was written across Tony's face when he finally understood what sort of hell she had been through. She managed to keep things quiet after all these years, but mostly because she knew that he would question where she came from, and what she was. She knew what he was thinking, and the thought was enough for her stomach to twist.

"So, you're telling me that the woman you saw in your dreams, she was… your mother?"

While it came out as a question, Ada hadn't missed the skepticism in Tony's voice.

"I can't help but feel as if we're connected, somehow," she nodded in agreement, chewing the bottom of her lip as she refused to make eye contact, once again.

A few seconds of awkward silence filled the room as Tony tried mulling his mind over the endless possibilities. The silence was almost deafening, as far as Ada was concerned. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering if this whole venture back home had been worth the risk.

"Is that why you ran away?" he finally asked, catching Ada by surprise, "Because you're afraid of your past?"

She flinched at the accusation in his voice. Of course, she was afraid. But, not for what he believed.

"Actually… I'm afraid that you would never accept me," she admitted, feeling her voice crack a little as she finally looked at him.

For once, Tony didn't know what to say as he realized just how terrified she was. Not just of his lack of acceptance, but, of the nightmares she'd been suffering from. Between that and everything else, the guilt from earlier returned at full force as Tony moved to wrap his arms around her in another hug.

"I could never do that to you, Ada," he whispered as she buried her face into his shoulder once more, "I'm not like my father. I love you, more than anything."

It took a few seconds for those words to sink in. Tears blurred the edge of Ada's vision as she understood the gravity of his response. Even she knew that he wasn't the type of person to say something like that out loud. Not without being forced into it. To hear him admit that out loud meant more to her than she would ever let on.

"I love you too, dad," she whispered back.

She was ready to say something else when Coulson chose that moment to step in and ruin the moment. Tony narrowed his eyes as Coulson reached the couch, crossing his arms as he studied the pair warily. It was clear he had been waiting for the right opportunity to step back in, giving them more than enough time to talk and figure out what to do from there.

A few other agents were moving around the building, dragging in what looked like heavy boxes. Tony let out a sigh of frustration when Coulson pulled him aside to talk with him. Ada was suddenly aware of the high tension between the two. After spending more than a few hours with Coulson, she knew that he was fairly easygoing compared to Fury and a few other agents. Which led her to wondering what was going on between them.

"Agent Romanoff will continue acting as a liaison while you're working on this project," Fury informed them after arriving moments later. Ada rose an eyebrow at the mention of Romanoff. She doubted that was a task the redhead looked forward to, "Coulson will remain here to make sure you finish the job."

"What's going on?" Ada demanded when she realized they were leaving her in the dark.

"Too much toxin from the Arch Reactor in his chest," Coulson explained while maintaining a straight face when Tony shot him a scowl, "That much toxin could have killed you."

Ada felt her blood run cold as realization dawned on her, "You were dying?" she shouted, eyes narrowing with fury as she looked at Tony, "You were freaking dying, and you didn't have the nerve to tell anyone?"

Both Fury and Coulson rose eyebrows at her sudden temper. Tony just shrugged it off as if he'd expected that kind of outburst. Honestly, after putting up with Pepper for so long, he'd gotten used to it.

"Some things are better off left unsaid," he brushed it off.

"Does Pepper know about this?" she demanded, ignoring the fact that Tony had tried comforting her, again. Tony's head hung for a moment, and she hadn't missed the guilt written across his face, "She has a right to know! She could be—"

"Miss Stark, you really should get going," Coulson cut her off before she could continue ranting.

She was ready to make a retort when she thought better of it. Ada knew that if she said something out of line, it would surely get her into further trouble than she already was. Instead, her jaw tightened and she only glared back.

"Wait, where is she going?" Tony asked, looking thoroughly confused and annoyed that she was going away, again.

"She'll be fine, Stark," Fury assured him, "Your daughter is more than capable of defending herself in a firefight."

Tony just looked at Ada for a few seconds before pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Not that Ada couldn't blame him. She understood that she was keeping a secret from him, one that was potentially dangerous for everyone she was close to.

Maybe she would tell him about joining SHIELD once this was all over. After all, he had every right to know the truth. Right now, though it was obvious that he had work to do. She wasn't going to try and get in the way of whatever needed to be finished.

Once they left the building after everything was settled, Ada thought back to the obvious tension between Tony and Coulson. She highly doubted the two of them would last long working together. Tony didn't do well with anyone who had authority over him. Especially when that someone was Coulson.

Fury led the way to a car where an annoyed looking Clint was waiting for them. Ada rose an eyebrow at the sight, having guessed that the archer was already reamed out for stirring trouble in the first place. With his arms crossed as he leaned against the car, she doubted she would hear the end of this once it was over.

"You two have a mission to complete," Fury informed them, "Find Banner, and bring him back. We need to have a little face-to-face chat."

Ada held back her own sigh of frustration, knowing full-well that convincing Banner to join them was next to impossible. He had enough problems as it was to deal with. Just the idea of having to work with SHIELD and the government was enough for her to know that wouldn't end well.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

" _Cause your scars shine like dark stars, Yeah, your wounds are where the light shines through So let's go there, to that place where, We sing these broken prayers where the light shines through- The wound is where the light shines through, Yeah, the wound is where the light shines through_..." - Where the Light Shines Through, Switchfoot

* * *

"Ross is going to be there, you know that?" Clint warned Ada as they made their way to the military base where Banner was being held.

She was more than surprised when Director Fury had also asked Jimmy to join them. He sat in the back seat with his arms crossed, looking mildly irritated that he'd been dragged out of the labs and into the field. Ada had no doubt that this was the last thing he wanted, especially given his area of expertise.

"Remind me again why I was asked to join you two?" he asked, looking like he was ready to bang his head against the window.

He'd been listening to the pair argue nonstop for the last couple of hours. Ada knew that this was anything but easy for him. But, Clint always had a way of making things worse than they were. She tried helping by lightening the mood between them, even though she doubted that would help matters.

"We needed the backup," she replied, glancing at Jimmy as he just rolled his eyes, "Come on, this is your first official mission on the field; try and show a little enthusiasm."

"I'm a tech genius. I wasn't trained to take on enemies, not like you guys," Jimmy snapped, gesturing between Clint and Ada, "And going against Banner? Are you out of your mind?"

Ada had to smother a fit of laughter at that. According to Fury, Banner had been captured by General Ross. They were able to get an idea of where he was taken. The problem was, Ada had no idea of what condition Banner would be in once they got there.

Once Ross got what he wanted out of Banner, Ada had no doubt he would throw the man in prison. She couldn't imagine a worse fate, especially since Banner hadn't done anything wrong. What happened wasn't entirely his fault. What the military was doing to him was wrong on so many levels.

Suddenly, the vehicle came to a screeching halt. They'd finally reached the base in question, but Ada could see that it was heavily guarded with armed soldiers. Clint wasted no time in shutting off the engines as the guns were raised in their direction. She nearly rolled her eyes at the questioning looks the soldiers gave them, especially when they caught the outfit Clint was wearing. There was a reason he was known as an archer.

"Nice of them to send us a welcoming committee," Clint grumbled under his breath as they climbed out of the Jeep. "Tell me you know what you're doing? I'd rather not have to fire arrows at the army."

"Relax, birdbrain," Ada muttered back, "I've got this covered."

She didn't bother giving Clint a chance to respond as she headed towards the helicopter that was preparing to leave. The soldiers had tensed immediately upon her approach. Wariness swept through Ada as she reached them. She knew one wrong move could lead to an all-out firefight. If that happened, there was no telling how it would end.

"Who are you?" one of the soldiers demanded, holding one hand on the trigger while glaring at the three of them.

"Agent Ada Stark," she introduced herself, flashing the SHIELD badge that Coulson had given her a month ago, "Touch me, and you'll regret it."

The soldier hesitated for a moment, eyes widening with recognition at her name. His hesitance only added to the effect as Clint and Jimmy joined her. She knew they wouldn't likely hop into the same helicopter as Banner and Ross, but having them by her side did give her a boost of confidence. Though he didn't show it often, Clint did give a damn about the agents that he trained. Ada had learned long ago that it was better not to question his motives when it came to figuring out what he was planning.

Luckily, the soldier seemed to realize that she didn't pose a threat, unless they decided to try and hurt her. She'd already changed into a SHIELD uniform before they left. Knowing that she would stand out like a sore thumb among the soldiers, she could see why they were so reluctant to trust her right away. Few people knew that SHIELD even existed. The agency had always worked in secrecy, keeping a low profile when it came to getting the job done. So Ada wasn't surprised to see their looks of confusion when she showed her badge.

"Alright, fine. Let her come," the soldier finally decided after a few more minutes of awkward silence followed.

Ada threw Clint and Jimmy a look that told them everything would be okay. Though, as she glared at the crowd of soldiers that seemed a little too calm for comfort, she knew something was wrong. She was no fool. She knew that one wrong move could lead to an all-out fight between herself and the army. The last thing she wanted was for that to happen, especially knowing that she did have the ability to hurt innocent people.

Flames suddenly appeared along the palms of her hands as she glared at the soldier that had led the way. The soldier's expressions quickly changed from that of a calm appearance to panic within seconds when they realized too late what she was capable of.

"Call off the tranquilizers, now!" she snapped, ignoring the scowl written across Ross' face as he himself stood outside the helicopter.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly aware that she could and would hurt them if they tried pulling anything off, "Stand down," he ordered.

The flames in her hands began to die down when the soldiers lowered their guns. Once the soldiers backed down, Ada felt her own shoulders relax only a little. Ross was already making his way towards the helicopter, and Ada followed after a few tense seconds followed. She gave Clint and Jimmy one last look. If anything happened to her, she knew they would have to finish the mission at hand.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of having your… company?" he asked with a look of disdain. "I assume you've been given full immunity to our operation."

She simply crossed her arms and returned the gesture. Now she could see why Banner had more than a problem with this asshole. General Ross was every bit as intimidating as she expected. Even if he was a General, that didn't mean she was going to trust him after everything he'd done to Banner.

"Just a matter of luck, I suppose," she replied.

Ross merely glared at that. With that being said, Ada walked past him, brushing off any attempts he could make to stop her. When she reached the pizza shop, she realized with a start that Banner and the woman from the pizza shop were already inside. Before she could make sense of what was happening, the woman suddenly gave her a hug.

"You must be Ada," she said, ignoring the wary look Banner gave them both, "Bruce was telling me all about how you helped him get back."

The woman eyed her SHIELD uniform warily. Not that Ada could blame either of them for that. She realized with a start that most people by now would begin questioning her line of work.

"Erm… yeah," she replied.

She chewed the bottom of her lip when she looked at Banner. He'd been watching them both for some time, eyes narrowing slightly. She couldn't hide the small smile that followed when she finally reached Banner. His expression was impossible to read when he noticed her uniform as well. He had known that something was off about her from the beginning. But Banner had trusted her enough to let her join him, and that was all that mattered to her.

"How were you able to get past those soldiers?" he asked, looking more than concerned with the fact that she'd gotten past them, at all.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," she replied.

Banner only nodded as the woman finally introduced herself, "I'm Betty Ross," she explained, giving her a handshake.

It took a few seconds for Ada to realize that this woman was related to General Ross.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Betty," Ada returned the gesture.

Banner was ready to say something else when Ross joined them. The smile Betty wore earlier had faded. Ada narrowed her eyes, aware of the tension between all three of them. Ross wasn't the type of person she could bring herself to trust. Besides, he'd clearly taken them both against their will.

"Let's take off, then," the General nodded to the pilot.

Ada sucked in a breath as the helicopter took off. She managed to keep on a straight face most of the time while glancing at Banner and Betty every now and then. Ross' eyes never left Ada. She shifted from one foot to the other, still feeling uneasy with the situation at hand. If he tried attacking anyone on the helicopter, she wouldn't hesitate to stop him. The problem was, that would also encourage the Hulk to unleash all hell on the General and anyone standing in his way.

"You start a fire in this place, and it'll be the last thing you do," the General sneered after glaring at her.

Betty's eyes widened when she recognized the threat in Ross' tone. Ada's eyes were narrowed as flames appeared at the tips of her fingers. She knew better than to cause a firefight here. Too many lives were at risk.

"Still think I can't take care of myself?" she muttered under her breath. "I don't have any intentions of hurting anyone. Not unless the situation demands it."

Not for the first time, she was thankful that she had learned to keep her temper under control. Especially around authority figures. Ross probably wouldn't have hesitated to arrest her, or worse. She kept her eyes focused on nothing in particular, hoping and praying that things would end well. Ross was unimpressed with the fact that she had been able to maintain control over her abilities. If anything, that only seemed to fuel his irritation.

"So, what are you really doing here, Miss Stark?" Ross suddenly changed the subject, still clearly suspicious over her actions.

"He's a friend," Ada replied with a shrug, gesturing to Banner. The doctor in question rose an eyebrow in surprise, "I find it's important to protect my friends, even if it costs my life." For once, Ross didn't know what to say as he clamped his mouth shut, suddenly aware that things could spiral out of control at any minute if he allowed it, "I've also been asked to remove Banner from your custody, by any means necessary."

"Under whose orders?" Ross snapped, narrowing his eyes.

"Director Fury, of SHIELD." She kept a level voice, ignoring the hostility Ross was clearly showing.

That stopped him immediately. Ada knew she had him beat the minute she mentioned her boss. She hadn't missed the agitated look Banner gave her. He of all people knew not to trust people like her, especially since she did work for a government agency. She understood the risks she was taking by mentioning her position, as well as Fury's name.

"Why don't you just take a seat while we sort this out?" Ross finally suggested, his normally gruff and angry voice soft for the first time since she met him.

Defiance swept through Ada as she glared back. For a moment, she thought of arguing. There were times when she hated being told what to do. With Clint teaching her most of what she now knew, that had led to some of their many arguments. It wasn't until glancing at Betty that Ada thought better of it. She was already panicking enough as it was without her making it worse.

Banner looked like he was finally ready to say something when Ada shook her head, knowing full-well what was already running through his mind, "Don't."

"Sir, the Hulk is out on the streets!" the com suddenly went off minutes later, catching everyone by surprise.

Narrowing her eyes, Ada glared in Ross' direction when she realized something was clearly wrong. The only one who was known as the Hulk was currently being held in a helicopter. Which led her to wondering exactly what those soldiers down below were talking about.

"Son, calm down. What's your location?" Ross demanded, trying to keep his own voice calm.

"Harlem Street," the soldier replied, the tone of his voice frantic.

Unease swept through Ada when she realized there was more going on than even Ross seemed to know. The confusion and worry written across his face was obvious enough.

"Alright, Stark, get your ass over here," he called over.

A lump formed in the back of Ada's throat, and once again, she thought of arguing with the general. Instead, she decided against it, knowing that would make things worse.

Carefully, she stood up and reached them until seeing a video playing on a screen in front of them. Banner and Betty had joined her moments later as they saw the chaos that was currently being recorded. What looked like a giant yellow-green monster was charging through the streets, destroying whatever lay in its path.

She grimaced at the fact that this creature appeared more like the Hulk than anything else. The only difference was, this creature didn't seem to care what lay in its path. The destruction it was causing was enough to send a shiver of rage through Ada.

"Obviously, you're more than capable of taking the creature down," Ross told Ada, his cold eyes searching hers as she glared back, "You wouldn't let all those innocent people get hurt, would you?"

The tone of his voice was enough for Ada's fists to clench with outrage. Especially when she caught the horrified look written across Betty's face. Even if she did have powers, and the training, she was still only a teenager.

"You're not seriously considering sending her out?" Betty demanded, "She's just a kid!"

"A kid who's been spying on Banner this whole time," Ross snapped, eyes narrowing with hate as he glared back at Ada, whose fists were trembling with rage now. "Isn't that why SHIELD sent you? To act as a little spy?"

The tension that filled the helicopter was ready to explode into a firefight as Ada caught Banner scowling at the realization of what Ross implied.

"SHIELD sent me to make sure that he stayed out of the hands of assholes like yourself, general!" she finally snapped, ignoring the looks that followed as Ross' face finally faltered, "He didn't turn into the Hulk once until you decided to go after him."

"Watch your tongue, Stark," the general growled out the words.

Well, it certainly wouldn't be the first time anyone told her to watch her tongue. Her teachers used to say the same thing when she would mouth off at them, often correcting them when she saw an error in their work. And, while she had stepped out of the line at those times, she had been right, and nothing would change that.

"You know what, why don't you take care of the problem, if you're so concerned about it?" she retorted, crossing her arms in annoyance, "After all, you've done such a wonderful job of ' _handling_ ' the situation as it is!"

By now, the general's face had turned a shade of red. Rage burned within his eyes, and for a moment, Ada was certain he would try and fire a gun at her at that moment. She hadn't missed the stunned looks Banner and Betty gave her, especially as they probably didn't expect someone her age to spit something like that. She was annoyed enough with the way that Ross was handling the situation. The fact that this creature had likely been created by Ross and his men was what frustrated her the most.

 _This is exactly why the military shouldn't have gotten their hands on Banner in the first place_ , she silently scolded them.

"Don't."

Banner threw Ross a warning look, one that reminded the general that he wasn't exactly in the position to be so demanding. His hand had already reached for his gun, but the moment Banner spoke up was when he stopped himself. At least he seemed to have some restraint over his temper.

"Fine," Ada sighed after realizing that he wasn't going to back down. "You want my help, then Banner goes free. None of this mess would have happened in the first place if you'd let him go."

The general's jaw tensed as he glared between Banner and Ada. She could already see an argument forming within his eyes. He was stuck having to deal with not only the doctor responsible for hurting his daughter, but a teenager with a snarky attitude. Ada could only imagine he was restraining himself from lashing out at her.

"You're already on thin ice as it is, kid," Ross finally answered, not liking the situation he was in one bit, "Fine. Banner gets out of this scot-free. If, and only if you're able to stop that creature from turning Harlem into a pile of rubble."

"Good," Ada nodded in agreement to those terms, feeling a small spark of relief that Ross had agreed to her terms, "Now, give me some space. I think I know what I need to do."

All three of them stepped aside when Ada reached the open door of the helicopter that was flying circles around Harlem. She knew she was taking a huge risk by doing this. Her powers still had a lot of development, from what Coulson had told her. If she made even the tiniest miscalculation, it could end in disaster.

"But, we're still in the air!" Betty protested when she realized what Ada was about to do.

"Ada, please don't do this," Banner suddenly grabbed her shoulder, catching Ada by surprise, "You won't survive a fall like that, with or without your powers." Once again, Ada was ready to argue when Banner stopped her, "Let me go; the Hulk can handle this."

Of course, Ross was all-too-willing to agree with that idea.

Ada's mouth fell open as she stared at Banner in surprise. She would have thought for sure that he would be more than happy to let her take the lead after what Ross had said about her. But, seeing the look in his eyes suggested otherwise.

She suddenly moved forward, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Banner stiffened from the initial contact, before returning the gesture seconds later. She didn't care if Ross or Betty were watching at that point. Banner deserved to know that he wasn't the bad guy, despite what everyone claimed.

"You're anything _but_ a monster, Bruce," she whispered, hoping that he understood what she meant by that.

"Ada, thank you for everything you've said about me," he whispered back.

"Bruce, wait, you don't even know if you'll change!" Betty cried once he let her go and reached the hangar doors.

Ada caught her before she could reach him, fully aware that this was something he needed to take care of himself. The glare that followed only sent shivers of unease through Ada, reminding her too much of the general's glare.

"I have to try… I'm sorry," he replied, his eyes locking with hers before he jumped out.

Her heart was beating so wildly that she was afraid everyone would hear it over the roar of the engine. Every second that went by seemed to go by painfully slow. Until finally, he crashed into the street down below. Horror swept through Ada as it began to dawn on her that no human could survive a fall like that.

"Get her inside!" Ross commanded when Betty managed to slip past Ada.

Moments seemed to pass before she was able to spot a flicker of green circling the debris. The Hulk was emerging from the hole that he'd created after crashing into it, and Ada was able to let out a breath of relief. She couldn't hide the small smile that followed when she realized that once again, the Hulk had saved Banner rather than hurt him.

"Why aren't you helping him?" Ada demanded when she watched as the Hulk went after the creature that had been wreaking havoc throughout the city.

Several buildings had already been destroyed thanks to the creature that could pass for nothing more than an abomination. Streets and cars were torn apart, thrown in various places, or, upturned from the creature that rampaged around the city.

The general and his pilot started firing an arsenal of weapons at the creature that Ada had decided would be called the _Abomination_. It seemed a fitting name, considering that was what the creature resembled.

She could only watch on as they jumped from roof to roof while trying to gain an upper-hand over the other. It took everything she had not to rush in and help. Ada knew full-well that the Hulk would not thank her if she interfered. Especially as she saw that he was barely struggling against the Abomination as it was.

Unfortunately, the Abomination had finally taken notice of the guns that were firing ceaselessly at him. He suddenly turned on the helicopter they were in, grabbing the gun so that it tipped towards the ground.

Panic swept through Ada as she struggled to maintain her grip on the metal bar, hardly aware of the chaos around her. Her grip on the handle bar was starting to loosen up as the general managed to herd the soldiers on board and Betty away from the worst of the wreckage.

It didn't take Ada long to realize that the pilot had been lifted from his seat. The fear from earlier was suddenly replaced with rage when Ada understood what had happened. Ignoring the screams that came from Betty, Ada made her way towards the cockpit. The Abomination was still trying to take their ride down, and she knew she couldn't let that happen.

She wasted no time in throwing four fireballs at the Abomination, determined to shake it off before it could inflict more damage. The Abomination let out a snarl of fury when it lost control of its grip, flailing to the ground seconds later.

Not for the first time, Ada found herself silently thanking Clint for those piloting lessons, despite her protests, as she managed to level out the helicopter a few minutes later. While it had taken a few more minutes than what a professional could do, it was better than nothing.

She let out a sigh of relief, sinking into her seat until glancing over her shoulder. Ada's face fell when she noticed the general was blacked out. He must have lost consciousness while trying to get everyone away from the open door.

"Dad."

Betty's choked cry was enough to make Ada's heart lurch with dread. She couldn't help but think back to Tony, and how their relationship had started off as strained because he adopted her. Now, she couldn't ask for a better father. She understood full-well what Betty was going through, in that moment.

Ada instinctively reached for the medical first-aid kit that was perched on the wall. She may not have known much about being a doctor, but, she had somewhat limited knowledge when it came to first aid.

"Hold him down," Ada whispered after reaching them, "I've got this."

She sincerely hoped that she did. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for his death. Betty looked at Ada warily, eyes dark with worry as she knelt down, only for the general to finally raise a hand, causing them both to jump in surprise.

"No; find a way out of here, now," he told them.

Ada exchanged one look with Betty, feeling a knot form in the pit of her stomach.

"Sir, the last thing I'm doing is leaving your sorry ass here," Ada snapped, earning a snort of annoyance from the general, "Besides, I still have a job that I'm committed to."

All of the other soldiers had been killed during the crash. Ada swallowed hard at the thought. Even if she hadn't been able to save them, at least she could save Ross and Betty. With that thought in mind, Betty had gladly helped her father move from the helicopter to a somewhat safer place. Though, considering the situation at hand, there really wasn't a safer location.

After going through a field of debris and passing several buildings that had been turned to nothing more than rubble, they finally reached the Hulk and the Abomination. Ada couldn't help but gape at the scene when she realized just how much damage had been caused by one fight between them.

Betty was just helping Ross when Ada suddenly rushed forward. She let out a cry of protest that was left unheard as she threw a fireball at the Abomination. The creature let out a roar of outrage just before she threw another one right at his face.

She started dodging from side to side as the Abomination tried slamming his fists at her. The Abomination was already worn out from his fight against the Hulk. That made this slightly easier for Ada, and hopefully left an opening for the Hulk while he recovered.

Just as the Abomination was about to attack her, again the Hulk stopped him. Ada stepped back, letting him finish the job as banged the Abomination's head into a brick wall. Seconds later, and the Abomination was knocked out, falling to the ground in a heavy thud.

It was over. The flames in her hand died down. A crowd had gathered outside as rain began pouring down. The Hulk did not like large crowds, and understandably so. He let out a low growl before leaping from building to building, trying to get away.

More helicopter lights were beginning to shine through the darkness, and, Ada stiffened as she recognized them as nothing more than SHIELD helicopters. Of course, SHIELD would have chosen now of all times to show up. Then again, Ada suspected that Fury had been tracking her every movement since the beginning of this 'failed' mission.

"Ada."

Speaking of the director in question. Ada felt her heart nearly skip a beat when she whirled around, only to find herself facing him.

"Nice to see you too, boss," Ada muttered under her breath, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

She really needed to work on speaking out against higher authority, especially people like Fury. He only tolerated her presence, and that was because of her powers. Something told her that Fury wouldn't be so tolerant if she wasn't such a valuable asset to SHIELD.

"What you did was a risky move," he snapped, "You should be thankful I'm not putting you on house arrest after the stunt you pulled with Ross."

"But…" she pressed, not missing the fact that he was looking at her expectantly now.

"Let's talk."


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

" _Oh I'm a mess right now, Inside out Searching for a sweet surrender, But this is not the end I can't work it out, How going through the motions Going through us, And oh I've known it for the longest time And all of my hopes, All of my own words Are all over written on the signs, But you're on my road Walking me home..._ " I'm a Mess, Ed Sheeran

* * *

"We went over the video feed during the battle." They'd returned to the office a few hours after Ada had finished washing up and changing into a fresh outfit. She'd been covered in ash, smoke and debris from the battle. Now, a fresh wave of exhaustion swept through her when she came back. She longed for a comfortable bed where she could crash on for the next few hours, but something told her that was out of the question, now. "You went over the line, by not only nearly getting yourself killed, but exposing yourself in front of everyone."

Ada exhaled deeply at that. She knew that she was in for an earful the moment she told Ross and the others that she worked for SHIELD. It wasn't just a matter of exposing herself, though. Director Fury was genuinely concerned for her safety, something of which she wasn't used to. When she first joined SHIELD, he hadn't shown the least bit of concern over her safety. It was usually Coulson who had to remind her that she was still just a kid, and one who was still under strict regulations because of her age.

"I wasn't going to let that thing hurt the Hulk," she replied, crossing her arms as her eyes met his, "Look, I get that I risked everything by exposing myself, but, they wouldn't have trusted me had I not told them the truth."

The Director let out a sigh of frustration when he saw the logic behind her statement. This job was anything but easy, as far as Ada was concerned. She was thankful that Banner had gotten away from the military. She was even more thankful that he still trusted her enough not to turn his back on her, in the end. That alone told her that what Ross thought about the Hulk _and_ Banner was entirely wrong.

"Nonetheless, you _and_ the Hulk managed to stop the… what did you call it? The Abomination?" Ada gave a faint nod, chewing the bottom of her lip as she recalled the battle. It may have only been a couple of hours ago, but, it felt more like weeks ago. "I've got the Council on my ass about allowing a sixteen year old joining SHIELD in the first place, let alone handling that situation."

Her face fell at that. The fact that Fury had allowed her to join at all only left her wondering how much he'd left out when dealing with the Council. She was in fact the youngest agent to join SHIELD. But, she'd joined because of her powers, and in the hopes of finding out who or _what_ she really was. SHIELD had knowledge on her past that she couldn't ignore. They managed to keep most of her files under lock and key, but once she was able to worm her way into those secrets, she knew they couldn't keep those files restricted forever.

"I can deal with them, if worse comes to worse," she replied.

At least, that was her hope. After spending endless hours in court trying to deal with judges who wanted to take Tony's Ironman suit, she knew how to deal with the Council. Even if she dreaded every second of having to deal with them.

"No. You need to go back," Fury told her, earning a look of surprise seconds later, "Your father needs you, now, more than ever."

For a moment, Ada didn't know what to say. She knew that Tony had been going through his own personal hell. Trying to find the cure for whatever the arch reactor had been doing to him. Lowering her gaze, she knew that Tony would be able to fix the problem at hand.

"Thank you, sir," she nodded, feeling more relieved than ever that he'd let her go without too much of a scolding.

…

For the first time, Ada was able to get a good look at what was left of the mansion. When they last stopped by, the place had looked like a mess. Fury had explained to her that due to the toxins produced from the arch reactor, Tony had been going overboard with the parties. Seeing the damage now only confirmed what she first thought of Tony's behavior.

"Ada, man am I glad to have you back!"

Before she could take another step, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her in a tight embrace. Ada didn't need to be told twice who was hugging her. She only returned the gesture with a hug of her own. It was good to be back.

"Dad, I really do hope you plan on fixing the place up," she scolded once they pulled apart.

"I've already got plans for the next one," he replied, "Besides, we've got bigger problems to worry about."

Ada blinked in confusion as she followed Tony down to the basement. To her surprise, and relief, the lab itself was intact, safe from the destruction above. Well, mostly intact. Tables were overturned here and there, and several cords had been pulled out. She could only assume that such equipment had been used to replace the arch reactor in Tony's chest.

Speaking of which, she'd only just gotten a glimpse of the new design in question. It came out with the natural glow and triangular shape that pointed up. The glow itself was what made the arch reactor so unique. While it had been used as nothing more than a publicity stunt to silence the environmentalists, the arch reactor itself was packed with energy.

"Dad, what's going on?" Ada asked once it became clear that something bigger than the arch reactor being replace was going on. She narrowed her eyes when she spotted a pile of boxes stacked on top of each other. A holographic image showed up after Tony typed up a few codes, revealing an older looking Russian man on the screen. She chewed the bottom of her lip after realizing this guy looked like an older version of the Ivan asshole that had attacked Tony on the racetrack. "Who the hell is that?"

"Language," Tony scolded her with a cross look. Ada only rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out as he sighed in frustration, before going over the information he was given, "Does the name, Ivan Vanko ring a bell?" He paused, looking down at Ada as she crossed her arms and studied the image warily, "I thought SHIELD might have a file, seeing as they seem to know everyone's business."

"First off, they do not go out of their way to know everyone's business," she retorted. Though, she wasn't going to admit out loud that Fury probably did know what they were doing right at that moment. The last thing she wanted was to give Tony the satisfaction that he was right, "Secondly, no. The name doesn't sound familiar."

"This guy really holds a grudge, against all the Stark's," Tony explained, ignoring her first comment, "His father was deported after he failed to bring in some new ideas for my father's company."

That was enough to catch Ada's attention. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something more going on. Seeing the look written across Tony's face suggested that he knew more than he was letting on.

"So, from what you've suggested, it sounds like this is a revenge story," she muttered thoughtfully. "So, what do you want _me_ to do about it?"

"I've already called Coulson to keep an eye on you," he informed her while switching off the screen, "Jarvis has the place on lock down, so, there's no getting in, or out, if it's someone he or I don't trust."

His last remark was enough for Ada to glare back in annoyance. By now, he made it perfectly clear that he hated Emmett. With a passion. But, Ada also knew the reason behind that hate was the fact that Emmett was a guy.

"What part of 'I'm capable of making my own decisions' do you not understand?" she demanded.

Tony didn't look the least bit surprised with her response. Instead of making a response, he shook his head.

"Absolutely not," he retorted, "Now, get somewhere safe. I've got this."

She only scoffed as Tony left the building with the Iron Man suit. How he managed to get the thing on so fast was beyond her. The moment he was gone, though was when she smirked knowingly.

 _Like a lock would ever kept_ me _out_ , she thought, already scheming an escape plan. She'd already overridden the passcode Tony tried writing, having gone through this routine more often than he probably would have liked.

The Stark Expo was all the way in New York. Which meant she would need to hitch a ride. The good news was, being a SHIELD agent meant that she had friends in high places. She was beginning to see some of the benefits of signing up for SHIELD, now.

"Hey, Clint, how fast do you think you can get here by helicopter?" she asked after pulling out her phone.

"You realize I'm still in enough trouble for your last escapade you dragged me in?" the archer groaned in response.

Ada couldn't hide the smirk that followed. Of course, Fury had chewed Clint out as well as Ada, herself for 'borrowing' one of his rides. But, like the last time, she had a legitimate reason for asking. Besides, she knew he wouldn't turn down the offer to help out if it was really needed.

"Look, something serious is going down at the Stark Expo, and I need a ride to get there," she explained. "Besides, since when has getting into trouble ever stopped you?"

Well, she wasn't wrong about that. Clint had gotten away with a lot of crap, from the stories that she'd heard and read as a rookie agent. She knew she was treading on thin ice as it was by bringing that up, but, at least Clint didn't bother arguing with that logic.

She waited outside the mansion where she could hear the familiar sound of a helicopter approaching just minutes after her call. Relief swept through her when she spotted Clint flying the helicopter. To her surprise, though, Coulson was waiting for her with a knowing look written across his face.

"You said the Stark Expo?" he asked once she climbed inside.

"From what it sounded like, that's where the firefight's about to happen," she nodded, and Coulson wasted no time in signaling to Clint that they needed to get moving, now.

…

The helicopter landed on a nearby landing pad just an hour after they'd left the mansion. With Clint's piloting skills, they'd beaten a record. Along with numerous other laws that would probably be overlooked by the time this was over. At least, that was Ada's hope.

According to the recent news that Coulson had received, Justin Hammer had planned on revealing a new weapon he developed recently at the Stark Expo. That alone left Ada feeling worried and annoyed. Hammer was an idiot by far, and he would do anything to gain the public's attention. Even if that meant breaking a few laws himself. She'd seen what most of his weapons were like, and that all of them always seemed to backfire on the handler of said weapon.

Luckily, they'd arrived just in time for the presentation to begin. It didn't take long for Ada to spot Pepper, and to her surprise, Happy and Natasha were with her. She glanced over her shoulder, not missing the look written across Clint's face when he too recognized Natasha.

"Ada!" Pepper called over to them after recognizing her; she rushed over to Ada and wrapped her arms around her in a warm hug, ignoring the fact that Clint was close behind her, "Where were you? We were worried sick!"

"You mean dad didn't tell you?" she asked, hoping to use Tony's lack of talking things through with Pepper as an excuse. Pepper finally let go of her, giving her a chance to catch her breath, "I went on a… personal business trip."

"Yeah, that's what it was," Clint scoffed under his breath, earning a quick jab in the ribs from her elbow.

"No, he didn't tell me that," Pepper sighed, shaking her head as she looked between Ada, finally taking notice of Clint's presence, "Who's this?"

"Clint Barton," he introduced himself without missing a beat, earning a look of surprise from Pepper. Ada hadn't missed the fact that Natasha kept glancing in their direction. She was surprised the redhead hadn't said anything, given the fact that she and Clint had likely worked together. While _he'd_ tried keeping their past history together a secret, he made it obvious enough. "Her… business partner."

By now, Ada was stifling a fit of laughter at the confusion written across Pepper's face. She was thankful that Pepper bought it, though. Especially since the presentation was about to begin just seconds after their introduction.

While Hammer was going on about how great his weapons were, trying to pass them off as the solution to the problem, Ada's gaze swept across the crowd. Ivan could be just about anywhere, as far as she was concerned. If her hunch was right, then Hammer had likely hired Ivan out of desperation. What surprised Ada the most was that the suits Hammer presented were controlled purely by computers, and not another human. She scowled at the thought, suddenly aware that those systems could just as easily be hacked into.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the War Machine! Worn by Colonel James Rhodes!"

That was enough to catch Ada's attention. Her eyes narrowed when an Iron Man suit – the very one Tony built for Rhodes, appeared from under the stage. What annoyed her the most was seeing the red, white and blue paint that covered the suit.

 _What the hell is he thinking_? Ada wondered, suddenly aware that the tension between Rhodes and Tony must have exploded into a firefight before Rhodes left him. A sudden sense of dread clouded her thoughts as she realized this was just another sting of betrayal.

"You have got to be kidding me?" Pepper groaned, voicing Ada's thoughts.

"We need to move, now," Clint warned her after noticing how tense the atmosphere had gotten.

She only nodded in agreement, following him as he pushed his way past the crowd, ignoring Natasha's presence entirely. They didn't get very far when the Iron Man suit suddenly landed on the stage minutes later. By now, the crowd was going wild, believing it was part of the act, as Tony stood between Rhodes and Hammer.

"Any idea what's going on?" Clint asked once they were far enough away from Pepper and the others.

"Well, dad's warning Rhodes that Ivan's with Hammer, and Ivan is likely hacking into the—" Ada stopped just when the suits that Hammer designed started firing into the crowd. "—System." The crowd was already beginning to panic, and understandably so. Ada turned to face Clint, suddenly aware that this could turn ugly, fast, "You mind clearing out the crowd? We need to evacuate the area as safely and quickly as possible."

"Luckily, this isn't my first rodeo," the archer replied before doing just that.

Once he made a full sprint into the crowd, clearing them out faster than Ada expected, she fired a fireball at the nearest suit, knocking it over in an instant. More suits were already making their way towards her. She watched, keeping one eye on the suits while glancing up slightly to see Tony flying back into the air, leading whatever suits he could from the overpopulated area. Natasha and Happy had already left the area, and Clint was leading Pepper away from the crowd.

Which gave Ada the chance to fight back. Carefully, she touched the ground, remembering what had happened back with the solders.

She could already feel the rush of energy sweeping through her from the earth, until suddenly, the ground itself began to tremble. Ada watched in amazement as a piece of cement crumbled and lifted in the air, until flying into Hammer's suit. The suit came crashing down seconds later from the impact.

 _And, you said I wasn't ready_ , she thought, feeling a surge of satisfaction swell through her.

' _That kind of power is dangerous, if one cannot control it_ ,' the voice from earlier pointed out.

By that point, the area had been cleared of the crowds from earlier, and the suits, aside from the ones Ada had taken down earlier. That voice from her time with Banner had returned, and Ada decided to ignore it. Once she was sure that the area had been cleared, she pulled out her phone and gave Tony a quick call.

"Dad, where are you?" she asked when he finally picked up, hoping she didn't sound too shaken from what had happened.

"On my way to Pepper; where are you?" he asked, sounding more irritated than anything else.

She knew she was in for an earful, after defying his orders for the umpteenth time.

"I'm by the information booth," she explained.

Her heart was racing with dread when she noticed with a start that the suits were still activated. The blinking lights only told her that they were ready to go off in a massive explosion. With Hammer's history dealing with weapons, she wouldn't be surprised if such an occurrence happened.

"Ada, get out of there, now!"

Tony's shout fell on deaf ears as Ada stared at the scene before her in horror. A wall of fire had already formed from the explosion, and, it was headed in her direction. She only had seconds before she was scorched from the intense heat.

Thinking fast, Ada reached down and willed the earth to wrap around her in a protective barrier. She didn't stop until she was wrapped around in a cocoon of cement. She crouched down, praying that the worst of it would be over within seconds.

…

Rhodes was flying as fast as he could against the speed of the flames. Ada was down there, somewhere. According to Tony, who'd sounded panicked beyond belief, she wasn't even supposed to be at the Stark Expo. Though, considering who she was, and who her adopted father was, he was hardly surprised that she managed to get there on her own.

Finally, he reached an area that looked promising enough. The information booth. Tony had given him the coordinates just moments ago after the chaos with the Hammer-suits was resolved. By now, the worst of the explosions had cleared the area. All that was left of what had happened was a path of destruction, and, the remnants of the fire and smoke.

He started walking after landing and surveyed the area. It wasn't until spotting an unusual looking pile of rocks that Rhodes stopped and tilted his head to one side. But, that wasn't what had caught Rhodes' attention. A golden light filtered through the tiny cracks of the rocky pile, and Rhodes realized with a start that someone was buried in the rock pile.

Carefully, he knelt down and started moving the rocks away. What surprised him more than anything was that the rocks had been pieces of cement pulled from the ground. He'd noticed with a start that certain areas of the pavement had been torn apart, as if someone managed to scoop them up. While the rocks themselves had been badly charred from the intense heat, he seriously hoped that whoever was underneath hadn't been.

"Ada." The mask came off when Rhodes finally saw who was underneath the rubble. Sure enough, it was Ada. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he realized she must have lost consciousness. The good news was, she was still alive. "Come on, Ada, it's me, Rhodey."

He reached out, gently gripping her shoulder until she was shaken awake. Her eyes widened, and Rhodes couldn't hide the look of relief that followed.

"Rhodey?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but at least she didn't look as if she'd received any fatal injuries.

"Hey, kid," he sighed heavily, knowing that he'd never forgive himself if anything had happened to her, "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Is everyone safe?" she suddenly asked, catching Rhodes by surprise when she tried standing back up.

He was always amazed that even after everything she went through, she was still looking out for the safety of everyone else over her own. People who kept comparing her to Tony obviously didn't know her well enough.

"The area's secured," he assured her, "You should go to a hospital," he suddenly added after noticing what looked like several old wounds, and fresh ones.

She only brushed him off and straightened up, acting as if nothing had happened, "Where's dad?" she asked.

He was afraid she would ask that. Seeing that she would refuse medical attention, much like Tony, he knew it was better to answer than drag her to a hospital against her will.

""He's with Pepper right now," he explained. "Do you wanna explain how you were able to make that?"

He pointed to the pile of rocks that were now nothing more than a pile of rubble. Her face betrayed the slightest hint of surprise, and immediately, Rhodes thought back to what had happened on the racetrack. She was leaving a lot left out, a lot that explained only half of what was going on.

"That's classified," she replied, her voice suddenly cold and emotionless.

"Ada—"

Rhodes didn't get the chance to finish when they both heard the sound of an engine running. He stiffened, looking up in surprise as a helicopter hovered just inches above them. Ada followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly as a ladder fell from the helicopter.

"Talk to you later, Rhodey," she called over her shoulder after climbing onto the ladder.

He was ready to follow, when he thought better of it. Tony was going to kill him when he found out about this. It wasn't until spotting the pilot that Rhodes blinked in surprise. His eyes narrowed once again as he caught sight of a tall, muscular soldier looking man with blond hair.

The helicopter was already gone, leaving Rhodey to deal with an already pissed off Tony. This was not going to be fun.

…

She was waiting at the SHIELD base, standing next to Clint as Tony arrived.

A day had passed since Ivan Vanko was taken to one of SHIELD's most secure prisons. From what she'd gathered, he'd built a suit and used it on himself and tried killing both Tony and Rhodes. But, they had used the missiles from the Iron Man suits on themselves. The attack had caused an explosion, nearly killing both them and Ivan.

It was a stupid and risky move, as far as Ada was concerned. But, it had worked in the end. Now that Tony knew she worked for SHIELD, she had a feeling that things between them wouldn't be the same. He hadn't been angry when he found out. Yet, Ada couldn't shake off the feeling that his attitude would change depending on how many missions she was sent on.

"So what, you control all the elements, now?" Clint asked, looking at Ada curiously after reading the reports that were filed on her abilities.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, crossing her arms as she chewed the bottom of her lip, "I don't know the full extent of these powers… but, I do know that they're dangerous. Some of them, at least. Too dangerous to use out in the public."

"Sounds like you've still got a lot to learn."

She could almost hear the smugness in his voice. After training with him for nearly two years, they had gotten to know one another well enough that he knew what was on her mind. Learning to control her powers was the least of her concern at the moment. She had enough time and patience that she could teach herself how to control them when the timing was right.

"You're telling me," she rolled her eyes.

She looked up as the car pulled in. Once Tony got out, Ada rushed over to his side and gave him a much needed hug. Natasha slammed the door shut and hoisted her duffel bag over her shoulder before joining Clint.

"You still haven't gotten that arm looked at, yet," he started in an accusing tone.

"Don't need to," she replied with a shrug, "The wound kind of healed itself."

She pulled up her sleeve to show him what she meant by that. Tony looked at her arm in disbelief. Sure enough, the wound from the other day had been healed. Previous bruises and scabs were still there from her training with Clint. She still didn't know the extent of her powers, and it was beginning to make her wonder just how far they could go.

Natasha led them to the office after explaining to Clint what had happened with her mission. The two had been partners longer than Ada realized. She hadn't missed the fact that Natasha especially kept looking at her with that piercing gaze. Something in the back of Ada's mind told her that the redhead had a few choice words for her after the way she'd handled the mission with Banner.

Fury was already waiting for them once they arrived. Natasha left with Clint to catch up on what they had missed. Ada had no doubt they were planning on discussing how difficult dealing with not one, but two Stark's was.

Ada swallowed hard when manila folders were handed to both herself and Tony. She'd seen the _Avengers Initiative_ logo, before. Coulson talked about it, a few times, before dropping the subject when they were working together. But, Ada suspected there was more to this initiative than even Coulson let on.

"For you, Mr. Stark, this is agent Romanoff's review to see if you're qualified," Fury explained. "And, this is agent Barton's report on you, Miss Stark."

Tony rose an eyebrow at the mention of Clint's name, but said nothing.

"Not qualified," Tony started while reading the report, "Textbook narcissist?"

Ada opened the file that Clint had written on her, hardly surprised by what she saw, "Doesn't follow orders well, has a tendency to rush into things without looking, but shows the skills of handling missions well."

Tony had been reading over her shoulder throughout, eyes widening in surprise when he realized just how much she had changed.

"Wait a minute, you've worked with this Clint guy, already?" he asked incredulously.

"Relax, dad. He's twice my age," Ada rolled her eyes after noticing how Fury pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"I heard that!" By now, they were both laughing at Clint's shout seconds later.

"Ada's already part of SHIELD," Fury told them, "She will continue acting as a liaison. And, seeing as you have accomplished your training with Agent Barton, I'd like you to move on with someone who has a bit more experience in hand-to-hand combat."

That was enough to catch Ada's attention. She knew there were plenty of agents who were perfectly qualified for the position. But, seeing the look written across Fury's face told her that she knew who he was referring to. Something told her that she was going to regret agreeing with that notion, especially as she remembered how easily Natasha had taken down Happy.

"You can't have me," Tony said after standing up, with Ada following suit, "But, you better make damn sure that you keep her safe."

 _Great, as if my life hasn't gotten complicated enough_ , Ada thought, rolling her eyes at Tony's overprotective nature. She understood why he was that way, though. After what had recently happened, it was going to take time for her to make him understand that she could take care of herself.

"You do realize that I'm sixteen now, and that I'm legally old enough to drive," she reminded Tony.

Tony threw her a look that said it all. She grimaced after realizing she would have to explain herself on that one. Being part of SHIELD meant that she would have to learn various skills, such as driving, piloting, and other skill-sets.

"What do you mean by 'legally'?" Tony demanded.

"Clint taught me how to drive a few months ago; it was a requirement," she replied.

"That crazy, son of a—" Tony caught himself when Ada threw him a glare. She crossed her arms as they reached the car, hating the fact that Tony was letting his overprotective nature get in the way again. "You already know what I'm about to say."

She was about to argue when she thought better of it. If there was one thing she had learned after living with Tony for ten years, it was to know what she should say to him, and what she should keep bottled up. If Tony planned on keeping this up, she didn't know what she was going to do with herself.


	21. Part Three, Chapter Twenty One

**Chapter Twenty One**

" _When the hour is nigh, And hopelessness is sinking in And the wolves all cry, To fill the night with hollering When your eyes are red, And emptiness is all you know, With the darkness fed I will be your scarecrow, You tell me to hold on Oh you tell me to hold on, But innocence is gone And what was right is wrong,_ _'Cause I'm bleeding out, So if the last thing that I do Is to bring you down..._ " Bleeding Out, Imagine Dragons

* * *

"Miss Stark, are you a superhero?"

"How do you feel working alongside Iron Man, Miss Stark?"

"Are you taking over your father's company when you're old enough?"

All of those questions kept buzzing in Ada's head as she tried answering each of them. No, she truly had no idea what the future held for her.

Honestly, with everything that was happening, taking over the company was the last thing she needed. Stark Industries was his thing, not hers. She preferred keeping things that way until she was able to figure out what to do with herself. Her mind was already feeling frazzled enough as it was.

Right now, she concentrated on controlling the one power that she had the most issues with. Even if she was able to control rocks and other minerals from the earth, it wasn't much control. She soon learned the hard way that earth was a challenging element, one that kept spiraling out of control within minutes of using it.

She'd been practicing outside the mansion for what felt like months, now. A few weeks had gone by, and the mansion was finally repaired. It may have taken over three weeks, but with money and a team of construction workers, they were able to get it finished and looking better than ever.

For the most part, life had finally gone back to normal. Or, about as normal as it could get for a Stark. Ada had been hounded constantly by the news reporters ever since Vanko was taken into custody. The worst part were the questions that were asked. Most of them went back to how she would handle the company, if she decided to follow that path. Others had asked about her powers, and if she planned on becoming a superhero. The media had been trying to get whatever information they could on the recent attack at the Stark Expo. Since they found out that she had been involved with the incident, and that she had powers of her own, it was impossible to hide from them.

Ada let out a sigh as she leaned back. She studied the fresh nicks and bruises that now battered her skin. Her training routines with Natasha had already begun, and she was beginning to regret letting Fury switch Clint with the redhead. Natasha was twice as lethal as Clint, and that was saying something. She didn't take it easy on Ada just because she was young and inexperienced. Usually, by the end of their sparring sessions, Ada was too exhausted to even do anything else. She knew that the training exercises Natasha put her through were harsher than Clint's for a reason. Having been trained as a master assassin had its perks. Natasha had higher expectations now that she had passed Clint's training.

This was the first real break she had gotten since then. As much as she loved her job, there were times when a break was desperately needed. Tony was getting worried when he noticed the subtle change in both her attitude and appearance. He was aware of the fact that she had joined SHIELD two years ago under his nose. As much as it irked him to know that she had done so without his knowledge, he understood the secrecy. She had been put under a lot of pressure by himself and the others, and he regretted doing so. Hopefully her training wouldn't backfire on her when she was finally put to the ultimate challenge.

"You're looking good." Ada flinched at the sound of Tony's voice; she had been so focused on the boulder in front of her that she didn't notice his approach. She bit back a retort when the boulder in question came crashing down on the beach below, causing sand to fly everywhere. "That's gonna leave a mark," he grumbled after trying to brush the sand off his outfit.

"You _do_ know I prefer practicing alone, right?" she reminded him, trying to keep herself from sounding tense. She managed to throw a smaller boulder into another one, causing a minnie explosion from the impact. Tony remained in the background, letting out an impressed whistle as she finished the last of her training, "Why didn't you just call me?" she asked as she reached him.

He may have been Iron Man, and he was physically fit, but exercise was not his forte. Because of her SHIELD training, Ada was constantly hitting the gym to make sure that she stayed in shape, herself. She had to help him up the rocky bluff a few times, ignoring the added embarrassment that followed.

She could already imagine what everyone would say if they saw the man behind Iron Man struggling to climb over a couple of boulders, and the thought almost left her smirking in amusement.

"I just got a call from that Emmett kid," he explained with a frown. They made their way back to the mansion, and Ada hadn't missed the fact that he kept looking down at her arms. She chewed the bottom of her lip, already aware that Tony hadn't quite forgiven her for keeping him a secret, "So, he has our house number, now?"

They stopped in the living room, and Ada bit back a groan as she realized where this was headed. Their last few conversations had revolved around him making sure she wasn't getting hit on by anyone. Which left her with the need to remind him that she was not only sixteen, but she also _needed_ to experience this part of life. She didn't plan on letting him turn her into an emotionless robot just because he was worried about her safety.

"Dad, are you seriously happier that I would get shot at than having a boyfriend?" she asked pointedly.

"Do you want an honest answer?" Tony rose an eyebrow, looking at her skeptically as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Finally, she brushed past him and reached her phone sitting on the counter. To her surprise, she'd received three missed calls already. One of them was from Coulson of all people. Ada frowned at that, suddenly aware that if Coulson had called, he would leave a message. This time, he didn't.

 _Coulson can wait_ , she told herself. She knew she was probably going to regret ignoring his call. Considering how much Coulson cared about her, she understood that he only called when it was an emergency.

"Hey," she said once she tapped his number and he picked up.

"Hey, yourself," he replied. She couldn't hide the grin that followed, ignoring the scowl written across Tony's face as he watched from the background, "Same time, same place?"

"Of course," she replied without missing a beat.

Once she hung up, she threw Tony a look that dared him to argue with her. Luckily, he didn't as she made her way to the front door. She didn't care what he said at that point. She planned on living out her life the way _she_ wanted, one way or another.

…

Sure enough, Emmett was waiting for her at their favorite cafe. Ada had put on a white tank top and a gray skirt, thankful that the weather in Malibu rarely got cool. She knew Tony would ground her later on when he found out where they were. For now, she enjoyed the momentary freedom she had.

"Ada!" She was greeted with a kiss the minute Emmett spotted her.

"Emmett, it's good to see you, again," she replied.

She couldn't help but grin once more. Moments like these, where she could just be herself were rare. Ada had long-since realized that a normal life was never going to happen. Being adopted by Tony Stark was one thing. But, having powers like hers only added to the difficulty of normality.

"You too," he whispered, cupping her hand into his and squeezing it gently. "I saw what happened on the news; are you okay?"

They sat down next to a window after ordering their drinks. People walking inside were whispering to one another. Ada swallowed back the lump forming in her throat when she noticed most eyes were on her. A few were on Emmett, as if they couldn't quite figure out who he was. The whole thing was unnerving, as far as Ada was concerned.

"I'm fine," she reassured him. "I was just a little shaken after what happened, back there. Everything is happening so fast… it's kind of difficult to get a grip on reality."

Truer words could not have been told. Her life had been so hectic within the last few weeks. They hardly had enough time to see one another because of that. Yet, they were still able to make it work. That was what Ada had been grateful for.

"I can see why." He smirked, until noticing the necklace that she was wearing. Since putting it on, she had refused to take it off. Then again, she couldn't take it off, even if she wanted to, "When did you get this?" he asked curiously.

A shiver swept through her when he brushed it with his fingers. Ada hadn't missed how his expression changed a few times. From suspicion, to curiosity, to a whole swarm of emotions. She frowned at the sight, suddenly feeling more self-conscious than ever.

"Well," she started, feeling that sense of uneasiness sweep through her once more, "You remember how I explained I was adopted by Tony, right?" At his nod, Ada took a deep breath, not sure how much she should share with him, "My mother apparently left it with me when I was just a baby. But, I wasn't allowed to put it on until I was sixteen."

"By your mother?"

Emmett rose an eyebrow as he studied the necklace, as if something about it fascinated him. Wariness suddenly kicked in when she noticed how drastically his attitude and behavior had changed. Something wasn't right. He'd seen her necklace before, and at the time, he hadn't shown as much interest in it aside from mentioning how pretty it looked.

"It's getting late," she said, hoping to cut through the awkward silence that followed. The crowd of customers had already left, leaving just a few filled booths and employees sitting in the back of the room. "Dad's going to get worried if I'm not back."

"No, wait!" Ada flinched when he suddenly grabbed her hand, this time forcefully.

"Emmett, let me go," she snapped, eyes narrowing dangerously. His grip only grew stronger, "What are you doing?"

"I'd like you to go somewhere special, Ada," he replied, his voice holding an eerie sense of calm and desperation that hadn't been there, before.

He never had the chance to say anything else. Ada suddenly slammed her elbow into his ribs, causing him to double over in pain. While he was recovering from the impact, she made a run for it. The remaining customers watched the scene unfold before them in shock, though, not before realizing what had happened.

Anger churned within her. How could she have been so blind? She immediately regretted thinking of what Tony would say when he found out about this. He would never let her live it down, after all the months of trying to prove to her that boys were off limits.

"Ada!"

She didn't stop running when he called her name. At this point, she needed to get somewhere safe to avoid the worst-case scenario. Unfortunately, life never seemed to work out the way she would have liked.

"You're not going anywhere." She skidded to a stop, feeling her heart nearly skip a beat at a smooth, cold voice that spoke up. Ada whirled around, eyes narrowing when she saw a gentleman standing behind her. He looked a bit too much like Emmett, only older. Yet, that wasn't what really caught her attention. Ada's face fell when she noticed the suit he was wearing, along with a pin on his tie that had a symbol, one that sent shivers through her, "So, you're the infamous Ada Stark I've heard so much about."

"Who are you?" Ada demanded, feeling her fists clench as she spotted Emmett approaching them.

"I am Emmett's father, Nathaniel Carhall. I have heard so much about you these last few days," he explained with the slightest grins.

Narrowing her eyes in annoyance, Ada could only imagine just how much this asshole heard about her. After seeing how quickly Emmett had changed when he saw her necklace, she didn't know who to trust.

She had to force back the vile rising in her throat. The two had her surrounded by now, unless she decided to jump out on the busy street. Though, the idea of doing just that didn't seem so bad now. They wouldn't be able to follow her if they tried attacking.

 _Wouldn't be the first time I've done something so reckless_ , she reminded herself. _And it certainly won't be the last_.

"You know, I'm beginning to understand why my father never trusted you," she muttered under her breath when he grabbed her wrist. The smirk written across his face was enough for her to wish she could punch it off. "It's too bad you trusted me as well."

Emmett let out a cry of shock when a piece of cement suddenly came flying into the back of his head. Ada didn't bother sticking around to make sure he was okay. Any chance of slipping away needed to be taken.

"Do you really want to run, now?" Nathaniel called after her, "We're the only ones that know what you are!"

That was enough for Ada to stop in her tracks. Her heart sank as she remembered the reasons behind joining SHIELD. All she ever wanted to do was find out where her powers came from. Though, she had a feeling that finding out about them from an asshole like him wasn't such a good idea.

"Why do you think you're capable of controlling the earth?" he added.

"I've always had these gifts," she snapped.

At least, it was partly the truth. She knew that she had been born with these abilities. The biggest problem she had was figuring out where her powers came from, and why she was born with them. It wasn't as if she had been born with the X-Gene like mutants were; SHIELD made sure of that when the agency took blood samples.

"You belong to a race of creatures that are not of this planet, nor do they belong on this planet," he informed her.

Ada's blood ran cold as she heard that last bit. Memories of the dreams that had haunted her for so long suddenly came rushing back, and she realized with a start that this man was connected with the people from her dreams.

Nathaniel wasn't given a chance to continue when they heard the screech of tires. For a moment, panic swept through Ada when the car itself hit the breaks the moment it reached her. She knew these people could have very well called for backup. Being on her own meant that she would have to use her powers against them, and she didn't look forward to doing that, again.

"Get in!" Relief swept through her when she recognized the driver as none other than Jimmy. Ada wasted no time in getting in, slamming the door shut as he sped off, leaving Nathaniel and Emmett behind, "When your dad called, I knew something was up," he explained once they put distance between them.

She didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything. Jimmy's look of concern didn't last long when they reached the mansion. She sank into her seat after seeing Tony waiting outside, with Pepper standing beside him. The anxiety written across Pepper's face only added to her embarrassment. It was bad enough that this had happened in the first place. But to know that both Tony and Pepper were waiting for her return only added to her embarrassment.

"Ada, what happened?" Pepper's frantic voice sounded seconds later when Ada finally climbed out of the car. She ducked upon seeing the 'I told you so' look Tony was giving her. But, the look faded when he noticed something was obviously wrong, "Thank you, for bringing her home."

"No problem," Jimmy nodded, looking equally as worried as Tony and Pepper.

Once the car was gone, Ada swallowed back whatever pride she had left and pushed her way past Tony and Pepper. She needed to get away. Dozens of different emotions were sweeping through her in that moment, and, she knew that she couldn't let them see her now.

Tears were threatening to overwhelm her as she reached her room and locked the door. If what that Nathaniel bastard had said about her was true, then it only left her wondering why SHIELD never knew the truth behind her heritage. She couldn't shake off the sense that something else was going on. Something that even he didn't understand.

"Jarvis, keep the doors locked," she managed to say, hating how choked up she sounded, "Override protocol three eighty nine."

Once she was sure that Jarvis had finished the task, she reached for her notebook and pulled it out. Nathaniel's explanation had terrified her. She knew that it was foolish to think that humans were the only intelligent life forms in the galaxy.

His explanation left her wondering if she was an alien of some sort. It only explained why her powers had developed so suddenly, and why she stuck out like a sore thumb in crowds. Though, it didn't explain why her dreams had been so vivid, and why they took place on earth.

Ada opened the notebook, carefully reading over the list of powers that some of the people in her dreams had. Some of them had the ability to shape shift. Others had telekinesis. Others still had healing powers like her own, and so on.

The whole thing was so confusing. It seemed as if whoever the people from her dreams were, their powers varied depending on where they were, and who they were. She knew that the woman with the baby had been of a higher ranking status, and that the woman's sister had sacrificed herself to give the fleeing group time to flee.

She tried to fight back the tears that were beginning to show as she noticed just how much the people in her nightmares suffered.

"Ada."

A knock sounded on her door, catching her by surprise.

She bit back a retort, having already looked up files on SHIELD after grabbing her Stark pad. According to the files, there was something going on in New Mexico. Energy readings were off the charts, and a team had been sent to investigate.

"Dad, I'm busy," she muttered, wincing when the door suddenly opened.

 _So much for having the best security_ , she thought bitterly. She wasn't in the mood to talk with anyone. After the way Emmett had betrayed her, and Nathan's explanation as to where she came from, her mind was still reeling with shock. Between that and dealing with the smugness of Tony's attitude towards Emmett, she didn't feel like putting up with him.

Tony ignored the glare that followed, and he sat down on the bed. Instead of the triumphant grin she expected, he looked thoroughly concerned. Ada looked down, the embarrassment she felt from earlier suddenly returning stronger than ever.

"Ada, what did that bastard do to you?" Tony asked after noticing the notebook laying open on her bed, and the files that lay scattered along it.

Ada choked back a nasty retort, knowing full-well that wouldn't get her anywhere. Besides, Tony actually did look as if he was trying to help for a change. His expression was impossible to read when he reached her. She knew he could have just as easily rubbed it in her face after finding out what Emmett had done. Instead, Tony was trying to provide what little comfort he could, despite being so awkward about it.

"He just…" She swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut as she pictured the block of cement hitting Emmett, and the scowl written across Nathaniel's face, "Dad, do you know where I'm from?"

She struggled to keep her voice calm. A combination of guilt, anger and sadness threatened to overwhelm her at that moment. Tony just looked at Ada in confusion when he realized what she meant by that. It was a question she had been struggling to keep to herself, but after that incident, she knew she had to ask.

"If you want an honest answer, you'll have to ask SHIELD," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "The only information they gave me was that adopting you would keep you safe, and out of the hands of people like Emmett."

For once, Ada didn't know what to say as his hand rested on her shoulder comfortingly. Tony wasn't the comforting type to begin with. To see him like this was only just another reminder of everything that had happened.

All at once, a rush of emotions overwhelmed her as tears stung the edge of her vision. She leaned into Tony's shoulder, hoping to hide them. The nightmares and dreams that had haunted her for so long left her wondering if these people had a connection with Nathan. She couldn't shake off the feeling that somehow, it was all connected.

"Dad, I keep having these nightmares," she choked out, shuddering at the memories of having to watch those innocent people die, "I keep seeing the same dream about those people… and I keep watching them die right in front of me. And, this woman keeps dying after she sacrifices herself for her baby."

Tony frowned at that. He had been aware of the fact that she kept waking up in the middle of the night. Jarvis would send an alert to him, making it obvious that something was bothering her. And, while she hadn't been honest at the time as to why she was losing sleep, he understood now why she couldn't tell him. He let out a sigh, gently squeezing her shoulder after realizing what she was going through. This wasn't just normal teenage stuff.

She'd already explained everything to him before Vanko was taken down. But she wasn't sure whether or not he really understood the gravity of the situation. Having to watch those people suffer over and over again left a mental strain on her, and Tony wasn't the only one who began to notice.

The nightmares had begun affecting her training. And she knew she couldn't keep going on if something wasn't done about it.

"Ada, while I may not know where you came from, I want to remind you that you're the best thing that ever happened to me," he assured her. Ada looked at Tony in surprise. That was the first time he'd ever said that out loud, "No matter what happens, I will always love you as my daughter."

That was enough to make her heart swell with joy. He may not have shown it often, but Tony actually did have a soft spot.

"And, if I ever see that Emmett bastard again, you can be assured that he'll have his ass handed to him."

She couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed. She knew that Tony meant what he said, and, that he would stand by his decision. But, something told her that finding them wouldn't be easy. If Nathaniel was as smart as she suspected, he would go into hiding until the right opportunity came.

The worst part of it, though, was knowing what Nathaniel had said. He claimed that her people didn't belong on this world. Which meant that if what he said was true, then _his_ people would return. Ada felt her stomach lurch as she understood this was just the beginning. That these people were far from finished with their work, and they wouldn't stop until the mission was completed.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you Guest for reviewing! I appreciate all reviews, especially since it lets me know that people are enjoying this story. I also wanted to remind readers that the poll is still up; I haven't gotten any votes, yet, and would really appreciate it if people took the time to vote.**

 **Guest - Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and hopefully this was soon enough ;) I try to keep it every other day or every three days.**


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Chapter Twenty Two**

" _The road begins with new born skin, We are right now You're a needle girl, in a haystack world, We are right now You're breathing in, The highs and lows We call it living, In this needle and haystack life I found miracles there in your eyes, It's no accident we're here tonight We are once in a lifetime._.." Needle in a Haystack Life, Switchfoot

* * *

It was four in the morning when Ada woke up. Tony had gone to bed hours after she finally fell asleep, tinkering with some devices down in the lab. Now, she was wide awake and had already begun packing clothing into her duffel bag. She'd already made preparations for the trip to New Mexico before Tony showed up. The key was to slip away unnoticed before he noticed something was wrong. She'd already over ridden the security protocols he'd set up, hoping to avoid detection as she left the mansion.

Once she had her notebook and other necessities packed, Ada made sure that Jarvis hadn't sent an alert to Tony. This was something she needed to do on her own. If what was happening in New Mexico was any indication to where her people came from, she needed to investigate it. She just hoped that Tony would understand when she got back. She didn't want him worrying over the decisions she made. But there was only so much she could do without him becoming overbearing.

After getting in the shower, changing into fresh clothes and tying her hair into a ponytail, Ada was ready for her trip to New Mexico. The energy readings had come off from a small town outside the desert. That was where she would start her search, and hopefully, clarify everything.

By the time she was on the road, it was six in the morning. She watched the sunrise from the corner of her eye, admiring the mixtures of colors that filled the sky. When she was younger, she would always slip out and watch it. She couldn't explain why; there was something almost profound about a sunrise and a sunset. She shook her head at the thought. Spiritual or not, she still enjoyed watching it when she wasn't busy, and often did so.

A couple of hours went by as Ada drove down the highway, carefully maneuvering around the traffic. Not for the first time, she found herself silently thanking Clint that he did teach her how to drive. She'd borrowed one of Tony's cars, knowing he wouldn't miss it much. The one good thing about Tony's car collection was that he didn't spend as much time with it as he used to. Working on the suit had eaten away at whatever time used to be spent on his cars.

It was noon by the time she reached the border that led to New Mexico. The usual traffic patterns weren't what had stopped her on more than one occasion. It was the cops that had stopped her several times. She knew that she looked young, and they probably thought she was too young to be behind the wheel. It meant having to flash her SHIELD badge just to get them off her case, but at least they backed off.

Ada breathed out a sigh of relief as she pulled to a stop at the small town that had captured her attention. It was indeed smaller than what she had been used to. Though, Ada noticed with a start that the town had its own charm, to it. People who were going about their usual business hardly took notice of her arrival as she parked outside a diner. She was thankful for that. The less attention she drew, the better off she was.

According to the coordinates that she'd managed to find after fumbling through SHIELD's files, there was a scientist running research on the same anomalies they were looking into. Ada had quickly learned that Doctor Jane Foster was an astrophysicist; someone who studied the stars. She knew there was a lot more in depth studies that went into astrophysics, and the fact that Foster had chosen such a location told her that she knew more than she was letting on.

She stopped by a convenience store to pick up a few supplies. Stopping there meant that she could grab a bite to eat, along with gathering information on the town itself. The locals seemed friendly enough, if not a bit wary about a stranger walking into their store. Being relatively new to the area meant that they would likely feel suspicious of a stranger randomly arriving. She tried to maintain her composure while going through the shelves and gathering whatever material she needed.

"Excuse me, do you know where Doctor Jane Foster lives?" she asked the sales clerk as he rang up her purchase. She hadn't missed the suspicious look he threw her, but it didn't last long as he gestured to en old looking building just a few blocks from the convenience store, "Thank you."

Once she paid for her purchase, Ada quickly grabbed her supplies and climbed back into the car. The town itself consisted of a lot of dust. She'd noticed that most of it came from the desert, and it drifted in the wind. This was truly the first time she'd ever stopped by a desert-side town, and she was beginning to understand why. The dry, hot air wasn't all that appealing to her. The sun was also glaring down at her. It added to the intensity of the heat that seemed to roll off the surface.

She pulled to stop upon seeing two young women standing around the building, along with two men. All of them looked thoroughly annoyed with one another, as if they'd recently had an argument of sorts. Ada watched them curiously as she reached the door. Something had clearly ruffled them up, and she doubted it was anything good. She held back a sigh, knowing that her sudden arrival probably wouldn't help matters. One knock on the door was all it took for them to stop bickering, turning to see that someone was waiting for them to answer.

"I'm sorry, but this building isn't open to the public," the woman with black hair and glasses explained after reaching the door.

Ada rose an eyebrow at that, having already guessed that was the case. While she could just use the same excuse she had for the cops, something told her that wouldn't end well. Instead, she decided to go with a friendly approach, hoping that would gain her access to what looked like a lab.

"I'm sorry for showing up so randomly," she apologized, feigning innocence as the woman eyed her up and down, "I was just hoping that I could run by some questions with Doctor Foster. She's an astrophysicist, and she might have the answers I'm looking for."

"Wait a minute… I know you from somewhere," the woman mused, ignoring her plea as she tilted her head to one side. Then, her eyes widened as if something had clicked, "You're Ada Stark, aren't you?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Ada replied, feeling hesitant with her answer.

The last thing she wanted was to gain attention. She knew it was inevitable – the media constantly tried hounding her for questions regarding her history with Tony, and everything else involving her life as a Stark. So many people had jumped to the same conclusion when they first met. Ada had quickly learned that introducing herself as a Stark was probably not the best idea, even though most people would recognize her by now. They simply judged her based on who Tony was, and how he acted in the public.

The woman didn't bother saying anything else, and instead she turned back to where Foster was standing. She still looked just as annoyed as earlier, but she did a fairly good job at hiding it. Ada suspected that whatever was going on in there was far from over.

"Jane, someone's here to see you!" she called over her shoulder.

"Darcy, what have I told you about letting—" Jane stopped short when she recognized who Ada was. She winced at the accusing look that followed, knowing that she would have to explain herself sooner or later, "I'm sorry, but even a _Stark_ isn't allowed in here."

The way she mentioned her last name was enough for Ada to force back a nasty retort. She was tired of people judging her just because she carried Tony's last name. While they may have shared similar last names, and she did have an attitude that was somewhat like his, they were nothing alike.

"Look, I'm actually here to ask you a few questions about your field of work," Ada snapped, suddenly wishing she could control the rising temper that followed, "A lot of… weird things have been happening that I can't explain. I was hoping maybe you could. My father doesn't even know that I'm here."

The older woman looked at Ada in surprise when she realized that she wasn't here just to cause trouble. She partly understood Jane's worry, given Tony's reputation and all. If there was one thing she loved proving, it was that she could take anyone by surprise with her explanations. Most of the folks that she ran into were taken completely by surprise when she would talk to them. As someone who had been accused of acting just like her father at times, it made their reactions that much more entertaining.

"Alright, fine," Jane sighed after giving it some thought. She hadn't dropped her guard, but her shoulders relaxed a little as she opened the door a little wider, "But only, and only if you can keep this a secret."

Ada gave a nod at that, deciding that was better than being tossed on the street. Jane could have just as easily done that if she posed a threat to them. She knew she would have just slept in the car if that was the case, but seeing as they were friendly, she wasn't too worried.

Once Jane let her in, she could see that the place was far more impressive on the inside than on the outside. Lab equipment was scattered throughout the building. A few tables were placed here and there. To the right was a small kitchen with a table for four. A set of stairs led to what she assumed were the bedrooms, and possibly the roof. The panoramic windows provided plenty of light during the day, and, Ada could only imagine what it was like at night to see all of the stars.

"This is quite the setup you have, here," Ada remarked, eying some of the equipment curiously.

There seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to how they were placed. Though, what caught Ada by surprise was that most of the equipment looked as if it had been hand-built. Tony would've had a field day trying to figure out how the equipment worked. As an engineer himself, he liked to nitpick certain equipment just to see how one designed it, and he would point out whatever flaws said equipment would have. People would often get annoyed with his attitude towards their work, but they took his criticism seriously when they realized that he was right.

"All of the equipment here helps me keep track of the readings that we've been getting, recently," Jane explained as she studied Ada warily, "Most of the readings came from the desert over the last couple of weeks." She paused, glancing around as if looking for someone. The two men from earlier seemed to have disappeared; Ada could only guess that the older gentleman had had enough with the younger one after their argument. "Have you seen Erik, anywhere?"

"Don't look at me," Darcy retorted with a shrug, "I'm not getting paid to babysit him; it's bad enough you expect me to babysit the new guy. Darcy Lewis, by the way," she suddenly introduced herself with a handshake after reaching Ada.

She couldn't hide the smile that followed as she returned the gesture. At least Darcy seemed friendly enough, for the time being. Ada had a feeling that Jane would feel suspicious of her. Once she brought up the idea of where she came from, and of her past, she knew that Jane wouldn't be all that happy with her presence.

Seconds later, and the two men finally returned to the room. Ada couldn't help but look away, feeling a spark of irritation when the tall, muscular guy with long blond hair smiled warmly at her. The one with gray hair had eyed her with the same suspicion Jane had.

 _It's not like I don't try to act as if I'm doing anything suspicious_ , Ada thought, trying to keep herself from looking too annoyed at the looks she received from Jane and the gray-haired man, who she could only assume was Erik.

"Who is this?" the muscular guy asked, eyeing Ada with curiosity.

While it was a nice change from the usual looks, Ada still felt unnerved by it.

"Ada Stark," she introduced herself, hoping she didn't sound too frustrated as Erik narrowed his eyes, "I'm sorry for barging in on you, so suddenly," she put in.

She knew she shouldn't have felt so irritated, given how she had randomly shown up and expected answers right away from Jane. If the roles had been reversed, she would have felt the same suspicion with them had they randomly shown up at her doorstep.

"Well, at least you seem to have better manners than the older Stark," Erik remarked, finally dropping his guard after realizing she didn't pose a threat, "Erik Selvig. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine," she returned the gesture.

She felt slightly relieved that he hadn't demanded why she was there, in the first place. She had no doubt that Jane would tell him once they were alone. There was only so much she could hide from them. Though, at least Selvig had been taken by surprise when she introduced herself in as pleasant of a tone as she could muster.

She glanced at the muscular guy curiously, suddenly aware that he hadn't dropped his smile since he arrived. He looked strangely familiar. Like someone she'd seen from a picture book. Though, she couldn't quite place why. He frowned after realizing that he was now the center of attention, and, that he hadn't introduced himself.

"Forgive me. I am Thor Odinson," he explained after reaching her, and taking hold of her hand. Ada froze when he kissed it, feeling her heart nearly skip a beat from the contact. The random gesture had taken her by surprise, and, he seemed to sense that when he noticed how tense she was, "Have I done something wrong?"

"No, it's just… people don't normally do that," she replied, feeling heat rise to her cheeks as she realized that 'Thor' was part of ancient Norse mythology.

From what she remembered, Thor was known as the Thunderer. She tilted her head to one side as she noticed he was looking at her with that same curiosity from earlier. It was enough to remind her that she shouldn't be too trusting. After the fallout with Emmett, and his father's attempt at taking her down, she knew that it wasn't safe to trust everyone.

"What is this?" Thor questioned.

He was eyeing the name tag on his shirt.

Ada tried not to look as she noticed even with the shirt, she could see the muscles rippling through it. If what he said about his heritage was true, then, she could understand where the muscles came from. Even if none of it made sense.

"Oh!" Jane's eyes widened as she reached for the name tag and tore it off, "My ex. Good with patience and bad with relationships. Uh… they're the only clothes I had that would fit you."

"It will suffice," he replied.

For a moment, Ada wasn't sure what to say as she realized how rude that was when he just left Jane standing there, gaping like an idiot.

"You're welcome!" she shouted after him, clearly miffed with his behavior.

 _Is this guy for real_? Ada wondered, crossing her arms in annoyance. She knew she shouldn't have judged so quickly just on appearance and his first act, but, something about the way he treated Jane rubbed off her the wrong way. She was even more annoyed when he turned around, bearing that same smile from earlier.

"This mortal form has grown weak. I need sustenance!" he declared, earning a raised eyebrow from Ada.

Mortal form sounded like another term for someone who thought he was above everyone else. Which only annoyed her further, if that was possible.

"Would it kill you to ask nicely?" she asked under her breath, careful enough that he wouldn't hear.

"Something tells me this guy wasn't taught manners where he came from," Jane added under her breath, looking equally miffed.

"Well, at any rate, lunch is on me," Ada suddenly announced, earning looks of surprise from Jane, Darcy and Erik.

"You don't have to do that," Jane reassured her.

"Sure she does!" Darcy chimed in cheerfully, eyes brimming with excitement at the prospect of food, "It's a free lunch, who can turn down that offer?"

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed. She had to admit, she liked Darcy's attitude and spirit. The intern reminded her of someone who could make friends with just about anyone, and, someone she would want to hang out with.

"It's the least I could do," she added.

…

"So, what sort of questions did you have to ask me?" Jane asked once they reached the local diner.

Ada was relieved to find it wasn't too crowded. She suspected this was a popular hub for the locals, and tourists who stopped by. Fortunately, with it being the middle of the day, people weren't keen on getting something to eat.

The moment Jane popped that question was when Ada found her fingers twining with each other. Honestly, she wasn't even sure where to begin. She'd thought of how she would start the conversation regarding where she came from, and where her powers came from. Now that she was put on the spotlight, she had no idea.

"I'm uh… not even sure where to begin," she admitted, glancing down at the table thoughtfully. "I sort of had this whole plan of asking if you knew of any anomalies that might've occurred sixteen years ago, but, now, I'm starting to realize how dumb that sounds."

"What do you mean by anomalies?" Darcy asked in confusion, ignoring the looks Thor and Erik were giving them.

Ada held back a sigh, knowing that she would have to explain herself sooner or later, "I'm not exactly what people would call… normal. I've been having these dreams about people who die right in front of me, and this one woman who… she sacrificed herself, and somehow sent the baby she was protecting away."

Even Jane looked flabbergasted with that explanation. She leaned back against her seat, eyeing her thoughtfully for the first time since she showed up. Ada glanced at Erik and Darcy, not missing the strange looks they were giving her. If they had seen the news, they would have understood why she was so wary towards talking about her powers.

"There haven't been any reports about anomalies appearing back than," Jane replied, eyes narrowing as she looked at Erik, who only shook his head. "I'm sorry; it sounds like something that should be investigated by the FBI."

She chewed the bottom of her lip at that, fully aware the FBI was the last organization she would have turned to. SHIELD, maybe, but, them? Something told her that would turn ugly, fast, if they knew the truth about her powers and where she came from.

Luckily, the subject had quickly been changed from her to Thor. Once the food arrived, he ate it up like it was nothing. Ada bit back a groan when she realized that the bill from this meal was going to be expensive. Between the food that he ordered, and the drinks, she had no doubt she was going to regret agreeing to paying for it.

"How'd you get inside that cloud?" Jane asked while he stuffed his face with food.

"Also, how could you eat an entire box of Pop Tarts and still be this hungry?" Darcy added.

Thor didn't respond, right away. With a mouth full of food, and the manners that he seemed to have, Ada had no doubt that he wouldn't have a problem talking with his mouth full. She was thankful he'd kept it shut until swallowing and taking a sip of his coffee.

"This drink, I like it!" he exclaimed.

"I know; it's great, right?" Darcy chimed in.

Without warning, he suddenly slammed the mug onto the floor, causing everyone to jump in surprise at the sound of shattering glass. Jane quickly cleaned it up, all the while Thor was offering a smile to the waitress who walked past, as if expecting her to do what he asked.

"What the hell was that?" Ada demanded.

"It was delicious. I want another!" he declared, still not grasping the reason why everyone was so annoyed and stunned with his behavior.

"Well, you could have just said so," Jane snapped, not sounding the least bit happy with the situation she was in.

"That is what I just did." Thor frowned in confusion, and it became obvious that he didn't understand that what he did was wrong.

"No, I meant ask _nicely_ ," she nearly rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"I meant no disrespect," Thor apologized after realizing the mistake he'd made.

"Alright. Well, no more smashing. Deal?"

Ada watched in surprise as Thor gave a nod. The fact that Jane had gotten him to agree at all caught her by surprise. He didn't seem like the type of person who would give in so easily. Then again, Ada barely knew him.

"Good," Jane nodded in satisfaction.

At that point, Ada suspected there was more going on than meets the eye. From what she gathered from Darcy, Jane was the one who ran Thor over. Darcy had tased him seconds later as he tried approaching them in his disorientation. Though, the more Ada watched him, the more she wondered if Thor really was from a different world.

A few more seconds went by before a group of men finally arrived in the diner. Ada rose an eyebrow when she heard them talking about a satellite that had crashed in the desert recently. Remembering what she had read from the SHIELD files, she had a feeling that the readings they had been studying led to this 'satellite' crash.

She glanced at Thor in surprise when she noticed how he'd taken an interest in the men's conversation. Seconds later, and he stood up to ask where the site of the satellite crash was. From what Ada had gathered, the whole area had been over by the government and was now heavily guarded. Which meant it had SHIELD written all over it. A shiver of unease swept through her as she realized that if SHIELD was involved, she would likely be questioned as to why she was there. She had been hoping that Jane would have some information about where she was from, but it seemed like that was a dead end as well.

"Oh, my God! This is going on Facebook!" Darcy exclaimed when Thor had received his answers and returned, pulling her iPod out in the process, "Smile!"

The man in question did just that, though Ada doubted he understood what she was talking about as she took his picture.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ada asked when she noticed he'd already started to leave.

"Fifty miles west of here," he explained.

"Why?" Jane's curiosity was suddenly peeked as well.

"To get what belongs to me."

"Oh, so you own a satellite now?"

"It's not what they say it is."

"Well, whatever it is, the government seems to think it's theirs. So, exactly how do you intend to get to the site in question and take it?" Ada asked, knowing that with SHIELD's involvement, it was not going to be easy taking back whatever belonged to him.

"Yes. If you take me there, I will tell you everything you wish to know," he replied.

That was enough to catch Ada's attention. She couldn't shake off the feeling that from the way he was acting, he meant what he said. It was painfully obvious that he wasn't from around the area, given his behavior.

"Yes. All the answers you seek will be yours, once I reclaim Mjölnir."

Ada rose an eyebrow at the mention of the hammer that Thor was famous for. She knew that Norse mythology was popular among archeologists. What amazed her the most was how much Thor's appearance resembled that of the actual Thunderer who was depicted from legends.

"Meowmeow? What's Meowmeow?" Darcy asked.

Ada couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed at Darcy's mispronunciation. It was good to know that at least someone in the group had a good sense of humor. Erik joined them moments later when he noticed what Thor was talking about.

"Please, don't do this," he said as Jane made her way to the Jeep.

She only rolled her eyes as she leaned against the wall and watched them talk things through. After dealing with Tony and his behavior, she was no stranger to someone telling her what she should or shouldn't do. Thor just looked between the two in confusion, unsure of what was going on.

"You saw what I saw last night. This is no coincidence. We have to find out what's on that crater," she replied in a firm tone.

"But I'm not talking about the crater. I'm talking about him." Erik looked between Thor and Ada pointedly.

A shiver ran through Ada when she realized that he was likely also referring to her as well. She knew that she didn't belong here.

"But, he's promising us answers," Jane insisted, this time sounding desperate.

She wanted to know about those anomalies as much as Ada wanted to know about her past. She couldn't blame Jane for wanting to know more, especially as she considered the options that lay before her.

"He's delusional. Listen to what he's saying. He's talking about Mjölnir, and Thor and Bifrost! It's the stories I grew up with as a child."

She frowned at Erik's explanation, knowing full-well that stranger things had happened. Based on the files that SHIELD had kept, Ada suspected there was more going on than half the world even knew about. After all, she had her powers, and, a past family that was currently undefined.

"I'm just gonna drive him, there, that's it!" Jane crossed her arms, looking back at Erik defiantly.

"He's dangerous, Jane," Erik reminded her.

Not for the first time, Ada felt Erik's gaze boring through her. Her eyes narrowed when she realized that he was not only referring to Thor, but, her as well. She hadn't missed the fact that Thor was still watching Jane and Erik, as if unsure of what they were arguing about.

"I'm sorry, but, I can't take you," she sighed after realizing the truth behind Erik's statement.

"Then, this is where we say goodbye." Ada frowned as she watched Thor take hold of Jane's hand and kiss it tenderly. The blush that followed only reminded Ada that Thor clearly wasn't from the areas. "Jane Foster. Erik Selvig. Darcy Lewis. Ada Stark. Farewell."

Ada found herself watching as Thor walked away, leaving them behind. She glanced at Erik and Jane, not missing the sudden tension between them. After everything that had happened, she couldn't help but wonder if Jane was making a mistake.

Once he was gone, they headed back to the research warehouse. Ada blinked in surprise when she noticed the SHIELD vehicles that were parked alongside the front entrance. Agents were crawling around the building itself, and she noticed with a start that Jane was panicking at the sight of their appearance. She swallowed hard as she heard Jane shouting at them to stop, knowing that they wouldn't. That was when she spotted Coulson handing her what looked like a check. He spotted her, as well, and narrowed his eyes when she shook her head, willing him to understand that she wasn't here on SHIELD business.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded once Jane was distracted.

"Jane Foster has research we believe will help us with the hammer we found out in the desert," Coulson explained. Ada felt a lump forming in her throat when she noticed Jane approaching them, once more. "Trust us, Miss Foster; we aren't the bad guys."

With that being said, the trucks and vehicles pulled away, leaving next to nothing behind. Ada's fists clenched when she noticed that her duffel bag of all things was gone. She swore under her breath after realizing that SHIELD must have confiscated that, as well. Narrowing her eyes at the cold realization, she knew that this was anything but over. Whoever took her stuff was going to pay.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**Chapter Twenty Three**

" _You've been gone for a long long time, You've been in the wind, you've been on my mind You are the purest soul I've ever known in my life, Take your time, let the rivers guide you in You know where you can find me again, I'll be waiting here 'till the stars fall out of the sky..._ " In The Wind, Lord Huron

* * *

Phil Coulson studied the notebook carefully once he pulled it out of the duffel bag. He wasn't expecting to find Ada there, with Doctor Foster and the others. Much less carry around the notebooks she'd been using for the last ten years. She had begun gathering a collection of notebooks with detailed collections of her dreams, providing yet another reminder that she was different from everyone else.

He let out an audible sigh, knowing that he would have a lot of explaining to do himself. He'd watched her grow up from the tiny baby that was brought in sixteen years ago. While it may have been from a distance, he always did what he could to make sure that she was safe, and she had everything she needed. The subtle gifts that were left during her birthday were just a small reminder of that notion. It pained him to know that he could only watch her grow up from afar. Stark had done a good job at raising her, but there were times when he regretted sending her to the orphanage.

As Coulson continued studying each detailed page of her notebooks, he noticed with a start that these were no ordinary dreams. He couldn't shake off the feeling that someone had been reaching out to Ada. That between her dreams, and the people that threatened her were somehow connected.

"You know, she's gonna find out sooner or later."

Coulson looked up, eyes narrowed when Barton leaned against the doorway of their makeshift shelter.

SHIELD wasted no time in taking over the area that surrounded the mysterious hammer. The energy readings it gave off were enough to warrant such a high level of security. Scientists had been studying the readings in question, trying to figure out why not even the strongest agent couldn't lift it.

"Look, I promised the boss I would keep this from her for as long as I can," he sighed, setting the notebook back into her duffel bag. "The less she knows about her people, the better off she is."

Barton only crossed his arms, not looking the least bit impressed with that excuse, "I wasn't talking about that," he retorted. "You basically raised her before shipping her off to the orphanage."

He couldn't hide the smile that followed. While it wasn't entirely true, he had spent the first few months with her. Maybe that was why he'd taken such a liking to her. Despite the attitude that rubbed off of others the wrong way, she cared about people in ways that others wouldn't.

"She's better off with Stark," he reluctantly admitted, knowing full-well that much was true.

As much as he hated to admit it, raising a child in his field of work wouldn't have been the easiest task. They would have constantly moved from state to state, and that wouldn't have been fair to her. She'd learned how to take care of herself thanks to growing up in the orphanage. But she now had a loving family thanks to Stark. He grudgingly admitted that letting Stark take her into his custody had been one of the better ideas SHIELD came up with.

He just hoped that if she ever did find out that he was the one who looked after her, she wouldn't hate him for giving her up. It had been a difficult choice. But it was the right one.

…

"Years of research. Gone," Jane sighed in frustration.

She, Darcy, Erik and Ada were all sitting on the rooftop after the SHIELD agents left with everything. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she considered the options that were stretched before her. She sat beside Darcy, unsure of what to say in such a situation.

The fact that SHIELD had taken away her stuff left her feeling angrier than ever. They obviously knew more about her own past than she did herself. Which left her wondering how much Coulson was leaving out.

"They even took my iPod," Darcy complained.

"What about the backups?" Erik asked.

"They took our backups. They took backups of our backups. They were very thorough," Jane replied.

Guilt stabbed at her heart as Ada thought of how things had turned out. She was just thankful Coulson hadn't dragged her along with him. She supposed that things could have turned out worse, had he thought it through. She knew she would never hear the end of this from Fury, let alone Tony.

"Just downloaded like, thirty songs onto there," Darcy went on with her complaining, and Ada couldn't hide the smirk that followed.

Despite the situation they were in, she enjoyed Darcy's company. Of everyone at the makeshift lab, she was the friendliest. Ada suspected that because of her personality, she and Jane clashed constantly over their priorities.

"Could you please stop with your iPod?" Jane snapped, clearly having had enough with Darcy's complaints.

Darcy just rolled her eyes, though Ada used their momentary distraction as a chance to slip away. She knew that she didn't belong there. The longer she stayed, the higher chances she would have of Jane or Erik figuring out that she too worked for SHIELD. Something told her that wouldn't sit well for either of them. That was one of the reasons why she hated having to lie to everyone about her field of work. It was for their safety as well as her own. But she hated knowing that when they found out the truth, they would eventually feel as if she had betrayed them.

With that thought in mind, Ada didn't plan on letting SHIELD get away with what they did. Jane's research was important to her, and Ada couldn't help but feel partly responsible for what had happened. Besides, there was always the possibility that Jane's research also had some kind of connection to her past. That in itself was enough incentive for her to go back and get some revenge for their intrusion.

The car was parked just a few feet from the building. Ada grabbed her set of keys that were hidden in the compartment, and she quickly started the engine. She was biding her time, though. Ada peered through the window, watching as Jane finally reached her.

"Where are you going?" she demanded once she was close enough.

"To get back what SHIELD stole from us," Ada replied without hesitation, "I'm guessing the only way to do that is by finding that Thor character. You want in?"

Jane looked at her doubtfully, eyes narrowing slightly as she took Ada's explanation into consideration. She knew it was risky to go after SHIELD. But, she suspected the risks were worth it. A few more seconds went by before Jane finally made up her mind.

"Who are you, really?" she asked warily.

Ada didn't miss the accusation in her tone. She bit back a groan, knowing that Jane wouldn't likely trust her anytime soon. Though, she couldn't necessarily blame the older woman for her lack of trust.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she admitted truthfully.

 _It isn't as if I even know who I am_ , she thought bitterly.

Relief swept through her when they reached a storefront. It turned out to be a local pet store, and from what she could see, Thor was already inside. Ada almost smirked when she noticed how he was talking to the sales clerk, who looked nervous beyond belief with his behavior.

Jane followed her inside after she parked the car and climbed out. She wasn't surprised to see that Thor was struggling to understand what the clerk was telling him. Though, judging from the look written across the clerk's face, he was equally as flustered.

"Thor, come with us," Ada ordered after reaching him.

The sales clerk looked between the three of them, clearly exasperated. Thor only offered a charming smile when he noticed they'd both returned.

Once they'd cleared things with the clerk, Jane led Thor to the car while Ada typed in the coordinates. She was thankful she'd had them memorized. After hearing Thor mention how far away the 'satellite' location was, she had the directions mapped out in the back of her mind.

"I've never done anything like this, before," Jane started, suddenly sounding anxious, "Have you ever done anything like this before?"

"More than you can count," Ada muttered under her breath.

She could have probably written a book on the number of rules she'd broken throughout her life. Tony would've likely grounded her to kingdom come if he found out how many times she went behind his back. She hated having to lie to him, but it was necessary when she first joined SHIELD. Now that he knew the truth, there weren't as many secrets between them.

"Many times. But, you are brave to do it," Thor reassured Jane.

Ada glanced at her mirror. With Jane sitting beside Thor, she noticed with a start just how much bigger he was compared to Jane. What surprised her the most was how comfortable Jane seemed now. It was a far cry from when they'd met earlier that day.

"Well, they just stole my entire life's work," she muttered with a shrug, "I didn't really have much left to lose."

"But, you're clever."

That took Jane by surprise. Ada rose an eyebrow at the sudden change in subject.

She tried ignoring whatever they were saying, and she instead focused on the road ahead. With the road being nothing more than a dusty path, driving became a bit more hazardous. Not for the first time, Ada was thankful that she had been taught how to drive, especially given the condition these roads were in.

"Thanks," Jane murmured, sounding more embarrassed than anything else.

"Far more clever than anyone else on this realm."

That, Ada found herself disagreeing with. And while she didn't say anything out loud, she could tell that Jane was trying to keep herself from blushing. Clearly, Thor wasn't all too concerned about one's modesty. Flattering others was the best way to win their hearts.

"Realm? What do you mean by Realm?"

"You think me strange?"

"Well, where we come from, there aren't exactly realms," Ada explained over her shoulder. "Maybe galaxies and other planets, but definitely not realms."

Though, she didn't want to rule out the possibilities that realms didn't exist. After all, stranger things had happened. Ada had no doubt that there was still so much to learn about this world, and, others.

"Is it a good strange, or a bad strange?" Thor asked curiously.

For once, Ada didn't have an answer to that question. She knew she couldn't necessarily say anything out loud. Given her powers, and her history, she was in no position to tell him otherwise.

"I'm not quite sure, yet," Jane admitted, suddenly ducking her head.

"But, who are you, really?" Ada asked, suddenly wondering if she and Thor shared some kind of connection.

"You will see soon enough," he answered.

"You promised me answers," Jane said in an accusing tone.

"What you seek; it's a bridge."

Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat at the mention of a bridge. She wondered with a start if that was how that woman in her dreams had sent the baby away. A bridge of some kind could have somehow rescued that baby she was desperately protecting. There had been strange patterns in the ground when the golden light appeared. But, the pattern had disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared, seconds after the woman was murdered in cold blood.

Her hands gripped the steering wheel harder than she intended. She felt nothing but hatred towards the assholes that killed all those people. Innocent people who did nothing wrong. They were only struggling to survive in the harsh world. None of them deserved to die the way they had.

"Ada, is everything alright?" Jane's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts, causing Ada to flinch slightly.

She shook her head, trying to clear the dark thoughts from her mind.

"Just peachy," she muttered, suddenly wishing a hole would open up and swallow her.

Luckily, it didn't take them much longer to reach the construction site in question. Ada parked a few miles away to keep them from getting detected by SHIELD. She suspected they would have monitors scattered throughout. They needed to be careful, if she wanted Jane and Thor to get out of this alive.

Once they climbed out of the car, they dropped to the ground on their stomachs and crawled towards the site.

Ada peered over the ledge to see what looked like a large city in the middle of a desert. Flapping white tents formed around what she guessed was the 'satellite' everyone had been talking about. She watched as a network of agents passed by an electric fence, a fence that was also protected by heavily armed agents. She knew getting past that kind of security wasn't going to be easy.

"Now, stay here. Once I have Mjölnir, I will return the items they've stolen from you. Deal?" Thor looked between Jane and Ada, as if expecting them both to listen.

"No. Look what's down there? You think you're just gonna walk in, grab our stuff, and walk out?" Jane demanded.

She brought up a valid point. Ada wasn't in any hurry to try and get through SHIELD's security, even if she could probably knock down a few agents. Besides, the last thing she wanted was to get into anymore trouble than she already was.

"No, I'll fly out." With that being said, he ran down the hill towards the compound.

She watched the scene unfold before them with keen interest. Thor had already punched his way through the gate, knocking down several agents in the process. Rain had begun to fall as he continued making his way through the compound. Ada had already formed an umbrella-like barrier to keep the rain from soaking them, letting her powers stretch between herself and Jane.

"What's this?" Jane asked, catching Ada by surprise.

"Oh, sorry," Ada murmured when she realized she was looking at her. The rain started falling almost instantly when she broke off her concentration. Jane let out a startled gasp as she got soaked to the skin. "Sorry!" she yelped, but it was too late.

They were both soaked, now.

"Wait, that was _you_ causing all of this?" she asked in disbelief.

Her powers were used so automatically that she wasn't even aware, at the time. To her surprise, and relief, Jane didn't sound angry like she was expecting when she too noticed what was happening. Thor had already punched his way through half the agents that were trying to stop him.

A crane was being pulled up over the compound, and, it didn't take a genius to see who was up there. She ducked beside Jane so that he wouldn't see her. What was Clint doing here? Then, she remembered hearing from Natasha during one of their sparring sessions that he had been reassigned to assist in the New Mexico project.

By now, Thor had reached the inner part of the compound. A large agent who was twice his size suddenly stopped him in his tracks. Ada's eyes widened when Thor took him head on, gripping him by the shoulders and tossing him into the mud.

The two started a mud wrestling match, the bigger guy gaining the upper hand as Thor slipped several times. She was amazed that no one could take Thor on. Glancing up, Ada noticed that Clint had aimed an arrow to where Thor and the other guy were fighting.

She used the rain to her advantage and formed a ball of water nearby. Clint was ready to fire when the ball hit him in the face. She ducked behind Jane once again when he looked in their direction. Jane was struggling not to laugh when she realized what Ada had done.

Finally, Thor had reached what she assumed was Mjölnir. Everything seemed to slow down as he reached down to grasp it with his hands. Lightning streaked across the sky when he tried pulling it out of the ground. Ada was tempted to help him out, but something told her it was best to leave him be. It felt as though everything in that moment was some kind of test. After what felt like hours of watching someone struggle to pick something up, Thor gave up, letting out a cry of sorrow.

"I think now might be a good time to leave," Ada sighed, backing away from the fence as she realized it was over.

She hadn't missed the fact that several SHIELD agents were headed in their direction. Ada had no doubt that Clint had already given them a heads' up. Given how they were technically intruders, and could just as easily be placed under arrest, Ada wasn't in any hurry to get caught.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Jane nodded in agreement.

They quickly headed back to the car and pulled away from the site once the engine started. By now, the rain had finally stopped, as if that in itself was a sign. When Thor had mentioned he was going to fly out of the compound, she could only imagine what was going on through his mind after realizing he couldn't lift the hammer. All of the stories of Asgard and Thor being the son of Odin suddenly began to make sense in a way.

"So, what exactly happened, back there?" Jane asked once they'd put distance between themselves and the compound.

Ada swallowed hard, recalling how her powers had developed in the first place. She'd tried explaining that, herself multiple times. The problem was, she knew so little about her own past and where they came from, that it was impossible to explain the truth.

"That's part of the reason I wanted to talk with you, actually," she admitted. Jane glanced at her in surprise as Ada tried ignoring her piercing gaze, "You see, I was born with these powers. I don't know how, or why, but… I thought that maybe your research might have an answer to the million dollar question."

Jane looked at her thoughtfully when she realized that was what she had said back at the diner. And it was still a vague explanation.

"I may not have the answers to those questions," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "People aren't normally born with powers."

 _You're telling me_? Ada bit back a groan, fully aware that she was anything _but_ normal. She tried not letting that get to her, though. There were plenty of people out in the world with powers that managed to make a living. While they had faced a lot of prejudice throughout the years, mutants were slowly but surely making a comeback.

Thankfully, Jane didn't push her any further. They'd returned to the warehouse in a matter of minutes. By then, most of the ground was surprisingly dried out. What bothered Ada more than anything else was that the ground didn't even look as if it had rained.

Erik and Darcy were already waiting for them when they returned. The moment they got inside was when Erik pulled Jane aside to discuss what had happened. Of course, he sounded angrier than usual. Darcy was only smothering her laughter as Jane nearly got arrested, all for the name of a complete stranger.

"He committed a crime! He's in jail!" Erik pointed out.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip once more, wondering if that was the case. She doubted SHIELD would arrest Thor right away. He'd tried reclaiming his hammer by breaking into a heavily secured location. She doubted that would sit well with Coulson, who was likely in charge of the compound.

"I can't just leave him there!" Jane snapped.

"Why?"

"You didn't see what I saw!" She threw her hands up in the air, letting out a groan of frustration.

"Look! Look! It's Meowmeo." Darcy showed them a picture of the hammer in a book she had picked up. Both Jane and Erik looked at it skeptically.

"Where'd you find this?" Jane demanded.

"The children's section. I just wanted to show you how silly his story was," Erik explained, looking rather sheepish now.

"But you're the one who's always pushing me to chase down every possibility, every alternative!" Jane pointed out.

"I'm talking about science, not magic!" Erik was shouting now

By now, even Ada was getting tired of hearing their argument unfold. She'd learned how to deal with confrontations, and was no stranger with them. Working with Clint as her trainer had taught her the meaning of how to deal with confrontations, and patience.

"Look, this is neither science nor magic," she finally spoke up, causing everyone to shut up for a few seconds.

Erik's jaw nearly dropped open when she revealed a tiny flame in the palm of her hand. By now, even Darcy was gawking at her as she caused the water from the kitchen sink to put out the flame. Ada suddenly felt self-conscious under their curious looks, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was making the right choice by trusting them.

"That is awesome!" Darcy exclaimed with a little jump.

"Well, magic's just science that we don't understand yet; Arthur C. Clarke," Jane added once Erik shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. "Ada is able to manipulate both fire and water, both of which could be forms of higher brain function!"

"Jane, enough of this!" Erik snapped. "You're talking about something that shouldn't even exist."

He glared pointedly at Ada. She only returned the gesture, crossing her arms as she realized the reason behind his frustration.

"Well, if there is an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, then there's something on the other side. An advanced being could have crossed it!"

Erik suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly losing his patience with Jane's explanations. What she said made sense, though. Ada realized with a start that Jane made a valid point as far as higher functions were concerned.

"Oh, Jane…" Erik let out a sigh of frustration, realizing there wasn't any point in continuing the argument. "Fine, I'll go and rescue him."

With that, and a final glare at Ada as he turned to leave, she was left to explain herself to Darcy. Though, Ada would have rather preferred Darcy over Erik any time.

"So, you can control fire and water?" Darcy asked, glancing at Ada in surprise.

"Pretty much," she shrugged it off, having had this conversation enough times, "My father thinks that I'm a mutant of some sort, but… something tells me even they don't have powers like these." She was already exhausted enough, and to think about it only left her mind feeling numb. "You wouldn't happen to have a place where I could sleep, would you? I can always opt for the car," she suddenly added.

"Yeah, we can pull out a mattress upstairs," Darcy replied.

Ada gave a nod at that. She didn't mind the idea of sleeping under the stars, as long as it didn't rain, again.

When that task was finished, Ada flopped onto the mattress and welcomed what soft comfort it could provide. She thought back to what Jane had said about her research. While they may not have had a connection, she wondered once again if she and Thor somehow shared a connection.

' _If you're listening to me, I want answers_ ,' she suddenly asked, knowing that the voice that spoke to her could possibly provide some answers.

' _What you seek is already in front of you, Ada_.'

Ada blinked in surprise at the voice's quick response. She wasn't expecting such a quick response, especially when the voice had remained eerily silent for days. Ever since she had put the necklace on, it seemed as if the voice only spoke when she needed it the most. She wished there was an easier way to contact it without putting her life in danger.

' _That doesn't help me, much_ ,' she complained, wishing there was an easier way around those questions, ' _Did you use the Einstein-Rosen Bridge to send away that baby_?'

Judging from the silence that followed, the voice was surprised with her question. She doubted whoever was speaking expected such a question, especially from someone so young.

' _We used something that is similar_ ,' the voice replied. ' _Our people have the ability to teleport objects through short distances_. _What I used killed me, in the end_. _It took too much energy_.'

It didn't take Ada long to realize what she meant by that. The voice belonged to the woman that had transported that baby to safety. But, she was more interested in finding out if she knew about her mother or father.

' _Nadia, do you know anything about my family?_ ' she asked warily.

A pause followed. For a moment, Ada was afraid the voice had left her. Then, she spoke again. That familiar recognition swept through Ada when she heard her voice.

' _I am your mother, Ada._ '


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**Chapter Twenty Four**

" _And I never meant to cause you trouble, And I never meant to do you wrong, And I, well, if I ever caused you trouble, Oh no, I never meant to do you harm..._ " - Trouble, Coldplay

* * *

Ada's mind was reeling with shock over that revelation. The realization that the same voice, the woman she'd been seeing in her dreams, was her _mother_ , was enough to make her wish she could ask more questions. For once, Ada didn't know what to ask or say as she pictured the woman in her dreams. The pieces were finally beginning to connect. She suddenly understood the gravity of the woman's sacrifice, now.

Sleep hadn't come easily to her that night.

Nightmares began overwhelming her. Images of the people that she cared about flashed across her mind. She never felt more helpless than at that moment when she realized that they had all been killed. That, the same people who hunted Nadia and her people were now hunting them.

A shiver swept through Ada as she finally sat up, trying to shake off the uneasiness. While they were nothing more than nightmares, they felt real. That was what terrified her the most. Ada knew that her line of work meant their lives would always be in danger. Tony knew it as well. He may not have taken his job as Iron Man seriously, but he knew that everyone he cared about was in danger because of the suit. She let out a sigh at the thought, knowing that thinking about it wouldn't get her anywhere.

The sun was just beginning to rise when Ada glanced over her shoulder, blinking in surprise when she saw her notebooks scattered around the rooftop. She looked around until spotting both Thor and Jane sitting on the rooftop a bit further away. A lump formed in the back of her throat as Ada wondered how Thor had gotten a hold of her notebooks, considering Coulson himself had likely taken them.

Sure enough, when she picked the first one up, she noticed that someone had indeed written on the very last page. The notebook itself was old and battered from months of abuse. She tried being careful with it, but she knew that writing notes after such dreams wasn't the easiest thing to do. Ada narrowed her eyes when she recognized the handwriting on the last page.

' _We need to talk — C_ '.

She had no doubt that Coulson wanted to talk about the stories she'd written. More importantly, she suspected she was in for a scolding when this was over. Not that she didn't blame Coulson for that notion. She quickly closed the notebook, already debating whether or not it was safe to go back and talk to him.

By the time she'd finished writing down in a newer notebook the details of her last nightmare, Jane was beginning to stir. Ada almost smirked when she noticed that Thor was still fast asleep. She gently pushed away his arm when she noticed that Ada was awake.

"Hey," she murmured sleepily, stretching her arms after sleeping in such an awkward position, "What time is it?"

"Close to six in the morning," Ada replied after looking down at her phone, "When did they get back?"

"Around midnight, last night," Jane replied with a slight shrug, "He got some of my research back, along with yours."

"Remind me to thank him," she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Thoughts of last night's revelation kept rushing back. A sudden wave of grief crashed over Ada as she pictured the woman sacrificing herself for the sake of her daughter. The only real family by blood she had left was gone. She swallowed hard at the thought, wondering how many more people would suffer at the hands of assholes like Nathan, who likely worked for the people responsible for her mother's death.

She tried casting the thoughts away with a much needed shower. After spending an evening in the rain and not letting herself dry off, a shower was desperately needed. Relief swept through Ada once she was finished getting ready, had changed into fresh clothes and tied her hair back into a ponytail. Once that task was over, Ada made her way down to the kitchen, only to blink in surprise.

The kitchen itself was currently occupied. What surprised her more than anything else was how domesticated Thor looked, working at the stove. Darcy and Erik were sitting at the kitchen table, while Jane helped Thor with whatever he needed.

"Wow, this smells great," Ada quipped, "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I believe it is the guest's best interest to cook for the host," he replied with a genuine smile.

Ada couldn't hide the smile that followed when she noticed Darcy nodding with a spoonful of cereal. Jane was working on the pancakes while Erik read the newspaper. In all, it reminded Ada of the lazy mornings she would spend with Pepper and Tony at the mansion.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, knowing that helping out was the least she could do for Jane's hospitality.

"She can wash the dishes when breakfast is over!" Darcy suggested, offering a wide grin as Jane rolled her eyes in annoyance. Ada almost laughed at the eagerness in Darcy's voice, telling her that dish-washing was her least favorite chore, "What? She's the one who asked."

"You can help yourself to some pancakes," Jane replied, ignoring Darcy's comment entirely.

She gave a nod of agreement to that, grabbing a plateful of pancakes before joining Darcy and Erik at the kitchen table. Both Thor and Jane joined them moments later. Not for the first time, Ada found herself appreciating moments where she could just spend time with the people she considered friends.

"Thank you," she murmured self-consciously, "You didn't have to do this."

The pancakes themselves weren't bad, even if they were a little burnt. Considering how many times Ada had burnt her own breakfast, she knew it wasn't fair to judge anyone. Especially since Jane was kind enough to offer some food, and, had accepted Ada into their little group.

Once breakfast was over, she and Thor worked together in cleaning the dishes. She washed them while he dried them, stacking the clean dishes onto a rack. Every once in a while, Ada would use her powers to splash water on his face, just to lighten the tense mood. They both laughed after Thor realized that she _was_ using her powers.

"Okay, how is it that you're a Stark?" Darcy finally asked after watching her for the last few minutes, "I mean, the two of you are nothing alike."

"Technically, he's my adopted father," Ada reminded her with a shrug. She'd heard this song and dance enough times to know what to say, "I never knew my real mother and father, but, I just… I have a feeling that they cared enough to give me a better life."

She looked down at the floor as guilt stabbed her in the heart. As much as it pained her to admit it, she would never know who her real father was. Her mother had finally revealed herself to her, but, she was about the only real family Ada knew.

Jane was ready to say something when she understood the gravity of Ada's situation. She never got the chance; a knock sounded on the door just seconds later. Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw four people standing at the door. Three of them were waving at Thor like a band of idiots, while the woman just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Found you!"

In his state of shock, Erik dropped the mug he was holding. Ada rose an eyebrow at the sight, unsure of what to make of the three men dressed in armor. Even the woman was dressed in some kind of armor; all of them looked like they were ready for a cosplay event.

"My friends!" Thor exclaimed after recognizing them.

"This is good! This is good!" the one with a bushy beard and bulky muscles started as they were let in by Darcy.

"I don't believe it," Erik choked out as Darcy cleaned up his mess.

"Oh, excuse me. Lady Sif, and, the Warriors Three." Ada rose an eyebrow at their introduction.

"Warriors Three?" Ada repeated, ignoring the incredulous look that all three men gave her.

It wasn't until saying it out loud that Ada remembered the picture book Erik had shown Jane, earlier. While he was trying to disprove that Thor wasn't from Asgard, it came back to bite him in the ass. Quite literally. She realized with a start that these people were none other than Volstagg, Fandral and Hogan. And, of course, Lady Sif, the only female of the group.

"My friends, I have never been happier to anyone. But, you should not have come," Thor said as he greeted them all.

"We're here to take you home!" Fandral stated, confusion written across his face.

"You know I can't go home. My father is… dead, because of me. I must remain in exile."

Ada narrowed her eyes in surprise at that. If his father was who she suspected he was, she doubted that was the case. She had a feeling that something bigger was going on, something bigger than even Thor understood.

"Thor, your father still lives," Lady Sif reassured him after frowning in confusion.

 _This is too much_ , Ada thought when she realized her presence probably wouldn't be welcomed much longer. Her mind was already running a mile a minute as it was. Knowing that the Warrior's Three _and_ Lady Sif were there, it only made things that much worse. The last thing she expected was to see people from another world visiting theirs. It almost seemed unheard of when she thought about it. But, she realized with a start that the people she came from weren't that much different.

What she wasn't expecting was to find herself staring at what appeared to be something huge falling from the sky. Ada narrowed her eyes as a large cloud of dust followed, billowing into the sky seconds later. She could only imagine how something so heavy fell from the sky in the first place. Of course, that was when things turned to chaos as her phone rang.

"What?" she demanded, already feeling irritated enough.

"Is that one of your dads?" Coulson's voice sounded through.

Ada rose an eyebrow when she noticed how out of breath he sounded. She could hear panicking shouts in the background, telling her that things had indeed gone horribly wrong. The sound of metal creaking and groaning followed shortly after, sending shivers of unease through her.

"Not that I'm aware of," she replied, struggling to keep her voice steady throughout the situation, "Though, my father has been known to keep his secrets when it comes to SHIELD."

She didn't leave out the accusation in her tone. Coulson must have heard it; she heard a sigh of frustration moments later when he realized what she was implying. Even he couldn't keep the truth from her, forever.

"Look, we'll have this discussion later, Ada," he replied after a moment's pause, "Get the townspeople to safety; this is about to get ugly."

With those final words, Coulson hung up on her and left her to consider those options. Ada pinched the bridge of her nose; she knew that if what Coulson had said was true, then, those people were in the line of fire.

She hadn't missed the fact that a creature resembling a heavily armored robot was headed into town. The slow movement it made was deceiving. Ada had no doubt that the creature was fully capable of causing heavy damage to anyone that stood in its way.

"Guys, we need to clear the town, now," she finally snapped after returning to the warehouse.

She knew she couldn't do this alone, even with her abilities. Keeping the civilians safe was her main priority, at this point.

The Warriors Three and Lady Sif were all standing outside the warehouse, along with Thor. Darcy, Jane and Erik had also joined them, mouths gaping open in shock upon seeing the armored robot for the first time. Even Thor looked stunned to see such a creature headed in their direction.

"Jane, you have to leave, along with your friends," Thor said to Jane once it became clear what the threat was.

"What are you going to do?" she asked warily.

"I am staying here," he replied.

"Thor is going to fight with us!"

Ada couldn't help but frown at the thought of how Thor would fight alongside them. Given that he had no powers, and he was obviously weakened, she suspected he wouldn't last more than a few minutes in a battle against that armored robot. Then again, she had no idea how she would fair in a fight against it. Her own training with SHIELD could only provide so much if the creature, whatever it was, managed to strike back.

"My friends, I'm just a man. I'll only be in the way, or worse get one of you killed. But I can help get these people to safety," he explained.

"Well, if you're staying, then so am I," Jane said defiantly.

"We'll need some time," Thor told his friends.

"You'll have it," Fandral promised him.

Once they started distracting the creature, Ada and the others wasted no time in moving to clear the area. She helped a few civilians to their cars, urging them to leave before the creature could cause more damage. She finished by helping a young mother and her toddler into a car, waiting until they were out of sight before returning to the street.

Slowly but surely, the armored robot was making its way towards the town. Lady Sif managed to slice a clean cut into the creature's neck, but, it managed to make a ninety-degree turn with its head and shoot her off with a fiery beam.

Lady Sif landed on the ground with a skidding halt just as Ada reached her. The creature had turned towards them, and the opening in its head began to light up. Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when she realized what was about to happen.

Faster than she thought possible, she managed to form a rocky barrier before the blast could hit her. She knew a hit like that could have easily killed her. The last thing she wanted was for Coulson to explain to Tony that such an occurrence had happened during her misadventures.

Her mind worked overtime as rocks and dust flew in the creatures direction. While she knew the rocks themselves wouldn't likely leave much of a dent, at least the dust would temporarily blind it. Finally, she broke concentration and let the rocks fall around her as she struggled to catch her breath.

"What sort of warrior are you?" Lady Sif asked when she noticed that someone had been controlling the rocks.

Ada only shook her head; she peered over her shoulder, hoping to get a glimpse of the creature from above the car they were hiding behind. Hiding from the creature would only encourage it to attack any civilians caught in the crossfire. They needed to handle it sooner rather than later, before it could reach that point.

"I'm not a warrior," she explained, fists clenching when she realized the creature had spotted them again. She threw a fireball in its direction, hoping that would at least slow it down, "I'm more like a peacekeeper." At least, that was how she liked to see it. Ada had a feeling that others would believe otherwise, if they saw her, now, "How do we stop that thing?" she asked when the others joined them.

"Perhaps we should keep hitting it; that's worked wonders, so far," Fandral suggested.

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed. Despite the situation, she found herself appreciating Fandral's sense of humor.

"No, my friends. For all that it is, I know that Loki is behind this attack. Get everyone to safety and let me talk to him. I may be able to stop him."

Ada blinked in surprise at the mention of Loki. She knew from the legends that Loki was known as the god of mischief. And, that he was Thor's adopted brother. Though, that was about the only knowledge she had from Norse mythology. Something told her that all the research in the world would never help her understand the truth behind their obvious tension.

Fandral and Volstagg were already leading them away, prying Jane away from Thor as he walked over to where the creature was standing. Ada watched on in horror as flames appeared at the square hole. Thor simply remained calm as he started speaking again.

"Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry! But these people are innocent. Taking their lives will gain you nothing. So take mine and end this."

For a moment, it looked like Loki wasn't going to listen. Then, the flames died down, and the square sealed shut. Their small moment of relief was short lived, though as the creature turned away. Without warning it suddenly slammed its fist into Thor, sending him flying into the dirt.

"No!" Jane cried and rushed over to his side. "No, no, you can't be dead!"

Ada flinched when she saw the wounds that were inflicted. There were several flesh wounds on his face and stomach, along with a nasty gash on his arm. Ada swallowed hard when she realized that no human could survive such wounds.

Once again, her fists clenched as rage swept through her. She couldn't fight back the overwhelming rush of emotions that followed. Between this, finding out who her mother was, and everything else, it was too much.

She ignored the instincts that were screaming at her to get away. Flames danced along the palms of her hands as she glared at the creature. Thor didn't deserve this kind of death. The townspeople hadn't asked to be dragged into a battle that was clearly between two brothers.

Rocks and balls of fire were hurtled at the creature. She wasn't planning on holding back. Not this time. The barrage of attacks lasted for what felt like hours, when in reality, it had only been seconds. Finally, Ada let out a rush of air as exhaustion followed.

 _What the hell is that thing made of_? she wondered, eyes widening in disbelief when she realized that even after all of those attacks, it didn't look like she'd left a dent.

"Ada!"

Someone pulled her out of the way just as the creature began to fire, again. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she heard what sounded like an explosion. Lightning suddenly illuminated the sky, with thunder following shortly after.

Her jaw nearly dropped when she noticed that Thor's outfit had changed dramatically after she turned to see him standing up.

He was holding the hammer from the crater site. And the clothing he wore earlier was replaced with armor and a red cape. For the first time, Ada could truly see why he was called the 'Thunderer'. He looked intimidating in that outfit, as ridiculous as it sounded.

"Is this what you normally look like?" Jane asked when she recovered from the shock.

"Yes," Thor admitted.

He actually sounded embarrassed rather than proud.

"It's a good look for you." Ada would have laughed at that remark.

She had a feeling that whether Jane tried to hide them or not, she had feelings for Thor. Feelings that she was probably going to deny until it was too late. Love was a complicated emotion. Ada understood that the longer Jane held out in telling the truth, the more she would regret it. She suspected that the feelings were mutual from the way Thor would look at her. He'd grown on them after the last couple of days trying to figure out how people from Earth lived and operated.

With one swing of his hammer, Thor was able to knock the creature flat on the ground. Ada almost rolled her eyes at that. Even with her powers, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, they hadn't been able to leave a dent. But, all it took was one swing of his hammer to knock it out.

She shook her head at the thought, watching as Lady Sif and the Warriors Three wandered over to the creature once it was knocked out. They wasted no time in calling to someone known as Heimdall. It was only a few seconds later when they, along with the creature, disappeared in a brilliant flash of light, leaving behind a familiar pattern similar to the one at the site where SHIELD took over.

"That's it?" Darcy asked in surprise.

"I am afraid it's not over, yet," Thor replied with a shake of his head.

"What about Loki?" Ada asked when she noticed that SHIELD had finally arrived.

She knew that SHIELD would have more than enough questions to ask when this was over. However, Thor was right. There was still unfinished business he needed to tend with. He'd already discussed said issues with Jane, Darcy and Erik just as Coulson reached Ada.

"Wait, we need to debrief you on the—"

Coulson wasn't given the chance to finish when Thor suddenly took off with his arm wrapped around Jane's waist. Ada rose an eyebrow at the sight, aware that Thor managed to keep his promise from the other night.

"Well, boss, as much as I enjoyed this little chat, I think it's time for me to leave," she quipped after catching the warning look Coulson threw her.

"You and I are long overdue for a talk," he retorted, not looking the least bit happy with the current situation.

Ada held back a sigh of frustration. She'd known this conversation was unavoidable. After searching through her notebooks, Coulson would have more questions than answers for her. Questions she would have rather avoided answering.

"Can we save it for when _they_ aren't around?" she suggested, gesturing to Darcy and Erik as they started helping the civilians clean up the area. "I'd rather not give away my position."

At least it was a reasonable request. Coulson finally seemed to realize what she was implying. Both Erik and Jane had finally begun to trust her, and she didn't want to lose that trust. Having them on her side would come in handy, as far as she was concerned.

One nod was all it took for Ada to know that they would have their chat later. For now, she wanted to focus on helping the others as best as she could, without giving herself away.


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

**Chapter Twenty Five**

"If you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to give me a call," Darcy informed her as she hugged her.

Ada couldn't help but return the gesture, knowing that she would likely do just that.

After reassuring Coulson that she would return to the base before she was shipped back home, she'd started packing her duffel bag. Jane hadn't necessarily been the same since Thor left. Ada doubted that she would feel like herself until he returned. Especially given how close they had been prior to his departure.

She and Darcy had exchanged numbers when the intern realized that Ada was leaving. She knew that she had overstayed her welcome. Despite that though, she and Darcy had hit it off immediately. She loved Darcy's carefree attitude, and she wished that they did have more time together. Jane wouldn't have appreciated her extra company though, and she knew that she had to get back before Tony decided to track her down. He wasn't going to be happy knowing that she had been in New Mexico in the first place. And to make matters worse, she had been involved with taking down the creature that nearly turned the town upside down.

With that thought in mind, Ada made her way back to the temporary base. SHIELD planned on keeping it up for another couple of days until they were positive the creature now known as the Destroyer was gone completely. Though, Ada suspected that creature wouldn't return anytime soon. If what Thor had said about the creature was true, then it wouldn't be able to go back unless someone decided to send it back.

She wasn't surprised to be greeted by security guards upon her arrival. One flash of her badge was all it took for them to let her in. She held back a sigh of relief once she was inside, noticing that the white tents were more like a network of tunnels, then anything else. The layout wasn't that much different from what a regular SHIELD base would look like, and Ada soon found herself reaching the temporary office Coulson had set up for himself.

"You wanted to talk to me, sir?" she started, already feeling uneasy enough as she noticed how tense he was.

"Have a seat," he gave a curt nod. She did just that, taking a seat in front of his desk. She suddenly felt like she was in school again, ready to get scolded for something that went wrong. Technically, things had gone wrong the minute she decided to side with Jane and the others. "You've been suffering from nightmares."

Ada sucked in a breath, feeling her heart nearly skip a beat upon that statement. She knew that any normal kid would have broken down within seconds if they had suffered from such nightmares. Then again, she was hardly what people considered normal. She swallowed hard, refusing to make eye contact as she gave a tiny nod. There wasn't any point in denying the truth. Coulson now knew what she had been suffering from over the last few years, and it was time she at least explained why she suffered from them.

"You read my notebooks," she muttered in an accusing tone.

"With good reason." Ada only scoffed at that excuse. She knew the reasons behind Coulson reading them. Whether it was curiosity or him just following orders, she doubted he would tell her the truth. "Look, Ada, I'm only doing this because I care about you."

She stiffened in surprise, feeling her fists clench as memories of those nightmares swept past. Yet, even as she pictured those images of people dying before her, she thought of the countless signs that someone _had_ been watching out for her.

Before she and Tony had finally worked things out, she would always find a cupcake waiting for her in the fridge on her birthday. Even after that, something waited for her. It wasn't until piecing two and two together that realization dawned on her.

"Wait a minute… you're the one who was sending me all those gifts," she started, eyes widening in surprise.

Coulson offered a meek nod, "I've been with you since the day you were found by passing civilians," he explained. "I was assigned by Director Fury to watch over you; we knew something was different the minute we received word about your appearance."

For once, Ada didn't know what to say. She'd always known that someone had been watching over her. That feeling never went away, even after Tony adopted her. She never realized until now that that someone had been Agent Coulson of all people. It suddenly made sense when she thought of how protective he was when she first joined the agency. He hadn't been happy when Director Fury asked her to join. But he'd accepted that she needed the change, and that she needed the training.

"Why tell me this, now?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper as she finally looked up.

"Because, you're ready to hear it," he replied. "I've seen what you're capable of, Ada. I may not have taken the responsibility that Stark was given, but, if anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself."

Understanding swept through Ada. She couldn't hide the small smile that followed. It suddenly began to add up as to why Coulson had always stepped so carefully around her. Even when they first met officially at the mansion, he had been careful around her. She should have known that was the reason behind his tension.

"That's why you never agreed to become my SO," she mused thoughtfully, knowing that favoritism wasn't necessarily a good thing. Especially in an agency like SHIELD.

"I have a feeling that would have been frowned upon, by everyone else," he nodded in agreement, as if he'd read her mind. "Do you know anything about your heritage?" he suddenly decided to change the subject after pulling something from his desk.

Ada rose an eyebrow at that. It was one of the reasons she had paid a visit to New Mexico, in the first place. Though, Ada hadn't been sure at the time what she was looking for, she did find some answers. Her mother had finally responded to her questions, and given her some hint that she was never truly alone in this world.

"I know I'm not exactly normal," she shrugged, referring to her powers and abnormal intelligence.

Coulson passed across the desk what looked like a manila folder. When it reached her, Ada suddenly felt self-conscious as she opened the folder in question, eyes narrowing when she saw countless files within. Files that clearly revolved around her.

"We've been running our own research on how you arrived in this world," he explained, ignoring the look of surprise that followed, "Ada, you come from a long line of people known as the Aliquid." She simply stared at Coulson when she heard that strange name. "A few hundred years ago, a group of the Aliquid were attacked in Europe, the last of their kind. Soon after that, they disappeared from existence as we know it. Or, so we thought."

That was enough to catch Ada's attention. She knew what Coulson meant, by that. The voice she heard the other day had only confirmed her earlier suspicions. Yet, it only added to the confusion as to why her people had been hunted down so cruelly.

"So, exactly what is that supposed to mean?" she asked cautiously, not sure if she wanted to hear the truth.

"You should read them," he replied, gesturing to the files sitting before her.

She frowned as she scanned each paragraph carefully, reading the files that SHIELD had compiled throughout the years. Most of it was information that she had already known. Reports on how her powers had developed, and how she learned how to control them, were written down with detail. While she wasn't surprised that her powers had been logged, she was still unnerved that someone _had_ been watching her all that time on the beach.

What did catch her by surprise, however, was the codename that SHIELD had given her.

She knew that most agents worked with codenames that were given to them. Usually, they corresponded with what their level of profession was. In her case, the codename that was chosen seemed to fit. Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she read it over carefully.

"Phoenix?" she finally repeated out loud.

"The name sort of fit," he shrugged, offering a smile of his own, "When they first found you, they described it as a glowing light surrounding you."

She nodded in understanding. A small part of her could already picture something like that happening. The woman in her dreams had used whatever strength and energy she had left to send the baby she was holding away, to a safer place. Ada knew in her heart that she was the baby from that dream.

"I suppose there are worse names you could've called me," she remarked thoughtfully. She paused for a moment, thinking back to how the Aliquid had been hunted down like they were nothing more than wild animals. The fact that they had been treated with such cruelty sent shivers through her. She couldn't imagine what that must have been like, to live with that kind of terror. "Why did those people hunt down the Aliquid?" she asked warily.

"I'm afraid you aren't ready for that information, Ada," Coulson sighed with a shake of his head. "I need to get going, and, so do you. I've been reassigned."

"Where to?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Coulson was one of the luckier agents who got transferred all over the world. He'd sent her pictures of some of the places that he'd visited, and, Ada couldn't help but admire the fact that he'd seen just about everything. Though, given Tony's line of work, she was beginning to explore more and more of the world, herself.

"Antarctica," he replied once they left the office. Agents were already starting to pack up once the area had been cleared. Ada didn't bother asking where Clint had gone; he was more than likely still pissed off with her after their last encounter, "One of our teams found something promising in the ice."

She didn't bother asking further questions. Something told her that whatever that promising reading was, she'd find out about it sooner or later. For now, Ada could finally return to the mansion where she would more than likely face the music of leaving in the first place.

…

"Do you have any idea how dangerously stupid that was?"

Ada winced at the sound of Tony's voice when she made it back to the mansion in record time.

She may not have broken any traffic laws along the way, but, she knew the longer she waited, the worst her punishment would be. She was surprised that Tony hadn't flown to New Mexico, himself, given the circumstances of her disappearance. Then again, he was busy enough as it was planning the new building site in New York City.

"Look, I get that you're mad, and, understandably so, but, I had to go," she sighed, feeling the weight of her journey finally crashing down on her.

The trip itself had been exhausting enough. Though, she had already mentally braced herself for the scolding that would follow upon her return. Tony's overprotective nature was something that she could never get used to.

"What do you mean, 'you had to go'?" he demanded, throwing his arms up in exasperation as he paced around the living room. Ada was just thankful Pepper hadn't been there, otherwise she would have likely voiced her own opinion on the matter, "Was this because of SHIELD?"

"No, dad," Ada reassured him, wincing at the thought. Somehow, her decisions always seemed to cross paths with SHIELD, in the end. Luckily, she'd left on a high note after discussing matters with Coulson, this time. "This was more of a self-discovery kind of journey."

Tony rose an eyebrow when she explained what Coulson had told her, and, what she had discovered through the voice she now dubbed as Nadia. Between that, meeting Thor, Darcy, Jane and Erik, he looked both surprised and impressed.

He finally sank down into the chair after realizing what she had been through, over the last couple of days. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip when she sat down on the sofa. Knowing that she wasn't human had changed things. She wanted to ask Coulson why he only just told her all of that information when he could have saved her the grief of leaving the mansion at all. The only consolation about that trip was that she met a few new people along the way.

"So, you mean to tell me that you're an alien of some kind?" he finally asked after letting the information sink in.

"That's what it sounds like," she replied, "Coulson didn't exactly say that they came from another planet, but… he made it obvious enough. Besides, how many humans are capable of doing this?"

As if to prove her point, a tiny flame appeared at the palm of her open hand. She knew mutants were capable of pulling off such moves. Though, Ada suspected that she would have known if she was a mutant.

"Well, it explains a lot," he muttered, running a hand through his hair as he thought of everything that had happened, so far. She knew it was a lot to take in, and couldn't blame him for trying to register the information she'd passed on, "Look, I'm not mad at you for deciding to leave like that. I'd prefer if you warned me ahead of time if you're planning on stealing my car and going on a road trip."

Ada smirked at that. Even if he was angry with her, Tony couldn't hold that anger for long. She knew him well enough to know that he was a big softie at heart. Tony couldn't stay angry with her for long. Especially when he realized the reason behind leaving in the first place.

He had been more impressed than annoyed that she managed to do all of that on her own without his or anyone else's help. One of the many benefits of SHIELD's training was that it taught her to adapt to any situation she put herself through. Ada had quickly learned to appease to whoever she encountered on her trip. That was the best way to gain their trust, and whatever information she needed from them.

"So, what now?" she asked curiously, knowing that they had a lot to do if they wanted to move on.

"I've already got Pepper on board for the new tower I'm planning to build in New York," he explained once the worst was behind them, "But, maybe I could use a partner in designing it."

Her eyes widened in surprise at Tony's offer. Even though she was still sixteen, and likely had a lot to learn throughout her lifetime, he was entrusting her with a task that secured the future for Stark Industries. That alone was enough to make her heart swell with joy.

"When do we start?"

* * *

 **AN: At this point, I'm just rewriting this for fun. But, I do want to thank GetLegsBish-Aiya for reviewing! They do encourage me to update faster, so, reviews are more than welcome!**

 **GetLegsBish-Aiya - Thank you! I'm grateful for your feedback, and I'm glad that you're enjoying it, so far :)**


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

**Chapter Twenty Six**

" _There's an old voice in my head that's holding me back, Well tell her that I miss our little talks Soon it will be over and buried with our past, We used to play outside when we were young And full of life and full of love..._ " - Little Talks, of Monsters and Men

* * *

Three years went by since the incident revolving around New Mexico. Within those three years, a lot had happened. First, Tony finally received the zoning permits to build Stark Tower. He, along with a team of specialists and Ada, decided on how the building itself would be designed. Pepper was the one who put the most input on the Tower, having suggested that it should be run purely on Arch Reactor energy. While Tony had been reluctant to go along with the idea, at first, she managed to convince him, otherwise.

Second, Ada had grown within those three years. Not just mentally, but, physically as well. Her muscles were well-defined thanks to the routine sparring sessions she held with Natasha. The redhead had been hard on her, at first. Neither of them were keen on getting along, especially since they found nothing in common with each other. Eventually, though, Natasha began to lighten up on Ada after seeing how much progress she was making.

Ada had long-since given up on the idea of dating anyone. After her fallout with Emmett, she decided to focus on her training. Even Tony had begun to notice how much she had changed over the last three years. At nineteen, she was fully capable of taking care of herself in ways that most teenagers her age couldn't.

Tony's most recent accomplishment had settled the family in Manhattan, New York. With the Tower's construction nearly complete, Ada had been utilizing her time in the city by exploring it. Often times, she would find herself getting ambushed by the press as they begged for questions on what life was like with Tony. By now, Ada had learned how to deal with the reporters that seemed to know exactly where she liked to go. Living with Tony meant she had to put up with them, one way or another.

She found herself wandering down the busy sidewalks of Manhattan after sending a message alert to Jarvis, warning Tony that she would be out, for some time. She knew he would want her to be back later that night. He and Pepper were holding their own celebration for the Tower's completion, and he wanted Ada to be part of it. She had been more than happy to have some input on the Tower when the project first started. But as they continued finishing the last touches, she began feeling as if she was nothing more than someone who got in the way.

She shook her head at the thought, having already decided this was a celebration best had between Tony and Pepper, and that she was just another a third wheel. The two of them had been dating since the incident revolving around Vanko. Ada knew that they were happy with each other, and she never felt resentful for the fact that Tony had begun to ignore her presence entirely whenever Pepper was around. Instead, she used the lack of his presence as a way of venting off whatever frustration she was holding in during her sparring sessions with Natasha.

Natasha hadn't missed the fact that Ada was using her training as another way of venting off her frustration. She had warned her that letting anger control her emotions was never the right answer. Channeling her anger was the best way to go when it came to sparring. Yet Ada had begun to understand that her powers and her abilities were all based on how strongly she felt. She knew that there was only so much she could do to keep said emotions under control.

Once she was past the view of the Tower, Ada made her way towards a local cafe she had been visiting, lately. The cafe itself was a place that resembled something from a fifties diner. Ada spent most of what little free time she had there. The reporters who were constantly hounding her didn't follow her inside, and, she used it as a chance to relax when her mind was running overtime. Which seemed to happen a lot these days.

"Excuse me, can I have your autograph?"

Ada rose an eyebrow when a little girl in a yellow sundress, matching sandals with her hair tied in pigtails approached her. Her mother was standing out the counter, ordering a drink. Her boldness took Ada by surprise, and she couldn't hide the small smile that followed when she noticed the little notebook she was holding. She wasn't opposed to signing autographs when kids were involved. The fact that they looked up to her at all was flattering at best.

"What's your name?" she asked after taking the notebook and pulling out a pen from her purse.

"Jaylin," the little girl replied, smiling from ear-to-ear, "I wanna be just like you, Miss Stark!"

She almost laughed at that, knowing full-well this little girl wouldn't want anything to do with her life, if she knew the truth. Ada kept that to herself, though, as she signed the autograph in question. Once she signed it, Jaylin returned to her mother's side and showed off the page that she had signed. The mother simply congratulated the little girl as they turned to leave the shop, with the little girl chatting excitedly about what had happened.

 _I miss those days_ , Ada thought as she ordered her own coffee. If she was being honest with herself, she truly did miss the days when she was innocent and carefree. She'd lost contact with Maggie over the years, because of her busy schedule with SHIELD. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that she was mostly at fault for that.

"You could always sign something for us." Ada only rolled her eyes as a group of boys around her age crowded one of the booths. The one who spoke was grinning like an idiot as he leaned against his seat, arms crossed as the other snickered along with him, "Name's Dean, by the way. Heard a lot about you, Stark."

The sneer of contentment in his voice was enough to send a shiver a disgust through her. Ada had dealt with plenty of idiots like Dean before. Though, those confrontations didn't usually end on a high note. She tried to avoid getting into fights while out in the public. That kind of message would only prove what she feared the most out of the people who kept a close eye on her. They would only see her as a monster; someone who couldn't be trusted out in the open.

She simply ignored them and took a sip of her coffee, trying to focus on anything but their taunts. A few customers in the shop were already shooting the group dirty looks. Their catcalls were enough of a reminder why she hated going out in the public. There were times when simply ignoring them was out of the question.

Ada was about to turn and face them when a new voice suddenly intervened, "I'd leave the lady alone, if I were you."

Her eyebrow shot up higher than she thought possible as she looked up, noticing the newcomer looming over her table as Dean and his goons finally stopped. His intimidation act seemed to work, because, they got up faster than could have imagined. Though, she almost snorted when he called her a 'lady'. She was anything but that, as far as she was concerned.

"Sorry, sir," Dean quickly apologized before he and his goons left.

Ada narrowed her eyes when he shot her a scathing look along the way. One glare from her was all it took to send them packing, for good. Even they seemed to know when they were no longer welcome. She knew how to put on an intimidating presence when it was needed, but, having backup helped.

The tension in the room began to fade almost as quickly as it had risen. Ada breathed out a sigh of relief once they were gone. She hated people like Dean. He thought of her as nothing more than a trophy-child, simply because she was Tony's adopted daughter. She shook her head at the thought. So many people tried taking advantage of her, because of that. She'd learned over the years that trust was something that had to be earned, not freely given.

"Thank you," she sighed, relaxing only a little as she got a glimpse of the stranger in question.

She recognized him almost immediately. Coulson had sent her enough pictures during his mission in Antarctica for her to recognize the man standing before her. With broad shoulders, a muscular chest, blond hair and blue eyes, he was none other than Steve Rogers. Or, as few people remembered him, Captain America.

"I'm not a fan of bullies, especially bullies like them," he muttered, looking more than relieved that they were gone. Considering he'd saved her from having to expose her powers in the public, Ada supposed she owed him more than just a thanks. "I take it you already know who I am, ma'am?"

His question took her by surprise. Ada blinked a few times, gesturing for him to take a seat and join her. Luckily, he did just that. She hadn't been planning on meeting him until the time was right. Or until Director Fury gave her the order to meet with him. Though, the more Ada thought about it, the more she realized that their paths would have likely inevitably crossed. Captain Rogers had been living temporarily in Manhattan until he figured out what he wanted in life.

"I do, actually," she admitted with a sheepish smile. After seeing the files that Coulson had sent her, regarding the mission in Antarctica, she should have known it was only a matter of time before they met. "The agency I work for has been keeping tabs on Captain America for a while, now."

Steve rose an eyebrow in surprise at her response. She knew Coulson had always been a huge fan of Captain America. To know that he was alive and had been found, left her wondering how he'd handled the mission. He must have been reeling over his seat, hoping to get his set of trading cards signed.

"So, you must work for SHIELD, then?" he guessed after realizing that few other agencies would know about his sudden revival. SHIELD wasn't exactly a well-known secret throughout the world. Unlike the FBI, CIA and other agencies, SHIELD kept mostly underground and worked in the shadows. "You seem a little young."

"And you don't?" She gave an unladylike snort, earning a look of amusement from Steve. "I joined when I was fourteen… I haven't really had any regrets, since."

She crossed her arms and looked back defiantly, as if to prove her point. While it had never been easy work, she enjoyed what SHIELD had to offer. It meant that she could travel across the world and help people without them even realizing it. The only reason she had become 'famous' was because Tony had adopted her. She used that as a scapegoat, hoping to throw anyone off her scent.

"Do you have a name I can call you?" His question was enough for Ada to realize that she hadn't even introduced herself.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. She suddenly felt self-conscious as she wondered if he would judge her based off her last name. Something told her that she would have to constantly live with that comparison, "Ada Stark."

Almost at once, Steve recognized her name. She hadn't missed the way his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Wait, you're Ada Stark?" he asked in surprise.

 _Well, so much for not judging me on my name_ , she thought bitterly. She should have known better than to believe that anything good would come out of sharing her last name.

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?" she retorted, narrowing her eyes when Steve looked taken aback by her sudden change in attitude. "I've heard this song and dance before. I tell you my name; you judge me based off my _adopted_ father's work."

"No, I wasn't planning on… I just wasn't expecting to meet you, so soon," he tried deflecting. "I was told by Director Fury that we'd be meeting, eventually."

Now, it was Ada's turn to raise an eyebrow in disbelief. That, she wasn't expecting. Even Natasha kept reminding her that her training was far from over. Working with a partner was something she had never considered, unless she thought of designing weapons with Jimmy. Though, that in itself was a whole different story. Jimmy was a tech genius, someone who probably wouldn't last more than a few minutes out in the field.

"Nice to know that the boss didn't share this information with me," she muttered under her breath. "What exactly is he expecting us to do, in the first place?"

Steve looked at her thoughtfully when his food finally arrived. She'd nearly forgotten about her drink until taking a sip, grimacing at how cold it had gotten. The good news was, she could heat it back up with her powers.

"I'm not sure," he admitted with a shrug. "He was hoping you could show me how to use modern technology, for a start."

Ada almost laughed at that, until she realized he was being serious. He looked thoroughly embarrassed at having to admit it out loud, not that Ada couldn't blame him. Considering where he came from, modern technology probably wasn't his strongest forte.

It wasn't until hearing her phone go off that Ada noticed how late it was getting. They'd been talking for what felt like hours. She knew Tony would be miffed enough that she was missing out on the dinner he had planned for that evening. Though, given how he probably planned on spending it with Pepper, she wondered if it was worth going back.

"I should probably get going," she sighed after sending him a message to let him know where she was. She left out the fact that she had met Captain America. Tony wasn't necessarily a big fan of him, given how much Howard had marveled Steve. "You know, if you ever need help figuring something out, I'm only a few blocks away."

For a moment, Steve's mouth hung open, as if he wasn't sure what to say to that offer. She knew she wasn't the easiest person to get along with. Heck, she gave Tony a run for his money when it came to being difficult. But, she did care about the people she considered her friends. While they weren't on that level, she had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time they saw one another.

"I'd appreciate that," he finally nodded in agreement.

With that thought in mind, Ada left him her number and the cafe. She was already running late as it was. Tony was never going to let her hear the end of it when she got back. Though, a little break from the Tower did feel good; spending time with the engineers to make sure that everything was put into place meant she hadn't had the chance to wander around and explore the city, much.

She blinked in surprise upon seeing that the lights were already on. The words 'Stark' were illuminated across the Tower in bright, white letters. The Tower itself was designed in a way that it would stand out among other skyscrapers. As if Tony's ego wasn't fueled enough, he had to go over the top with every little design.

It didn't take her long to reach the penthouse where Tony and Pepper were waiting. After debating whether or not she should change into something a little more formal, Ada had quickly pushed the thought aside. With it just being the three of them, she could dress as casually as she wanted without feeling judged by Pepper or Tony.

"The Tower's looking good," she announced after the elevator reached the final floor.

The last floor was where the penthouse was located. From there, she could see the bar in the background, along with a balcony that overlooked the city. Down below was where their rooms were located. She, Tony and Pepper all had their own rooms, even though Pepper and Tony often slept together.

"You really think so?" Pepper asked, her eyes glowing with amusement as she sat across from Tony, holding a glass of champagne. "I'm glad to hear that our hard work is finally paying off."

"Our hard work?" Tony looked at Pepper skeptically when Ada strode across the room, rolling her eyes at his ignorance.

"You do realize that Pepper was the one who came up with the idea, right?" she pointed out after taking a seat, "She deserves more than a small percentage of ownership."

The triumphant look written across Pepper's face was priceless. Pepper really did deserve more than what Tony had to offer. She was the one who came up with the idea of using renewable energy for the Tower, and her idea had begun to sink in as Tony saw the wisdom in it. She was ready to say something when an alarm suddenly went off.

"Sir, Agent Coulson of SHIELD wishes to speak with you," Jarvis warned them.

Tony looked at Ada questioningly, but she only shrugged. She knew that Coulson had been on some top secret mission for the last few months, along with Clint. The only reason she found out about it was because Natasha had informed her of it. Even Fury had been quiet about the whole thing, telling her that it was something SHIELD probably shouldn't have been involved in, in the first place.

"Tell him I'm out," Tony pleaded, not sounding the least bit enthusiastic with the idea of talking to Coulson.

Ada almost smirked when her phone went off seconds later. It must have been urgent, if Coulson was using her to reach out to Tony. She ignored the incredulous look he threw her when she answered her phone, already aware that Coulson wouldn't be calling unless it was an emergency.

"I need to talk with your father."

His greeting was curt and to the point, though, Ada could hear a hint of urgency within his voice.

"Nice to hear from you too, Coulson," she muttered under her breath, "He's busy, at the moment."

She wasn't given the chance to make more excuses when the elevator door suddenly slid open. Ada rose an eyebrow when Coulson himself emerged from the elevator, not looking the least bit happy with the situation he was in.

"Hi, Phil," Pepper greeted him immediately after realizing how serious this must have been.

"Since when was his name Phil?" Tony asked, rolling his eyes upon their sudden intrusion. "I thought his first name was Agent?"

"Since forever, dad," Ada retorted, shooting him a warning look.

"Ada, you're being reassigned," Coulson informed her, cutting straight to the point when he reached them. Ada frowned in confusion as she caught the exchange made by Tony and Pepper, "Something's happened, and, we'll need your help with this case."

"What's going on?" she demanded while Tony pulled out the files that were given to him.

Her eyes widened in surprise when holographic images of people she had become familiar with appeared across the system Tony had set up. The Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America showed up across the screen, along with Thor.

 _Why not include myself_? she wondered, knowing that Fury had considered her for the Avenger's Initiative.

She frowned at the thought. Maybe Fury didn't think she was ready for that case. Yet, she had been training for so long now, and it irritated her to think that he didn't believe she was ready. After everything she had been through, whatever task they had in mind for Tony would probably be a walk in the park.

"That's something you need to talk about with the boss," Coulson replied, "We're rendezvousing on the Hellicarrier."

That was enough to catch her attention. The Hellicarrier was a ship that they had been working on for years, now. The airship had finally been finished just a few months ago, with the official launch occurring a few weeks prior to Tony completing the Tower.

"I'll see you guys later," she waved Tony and Pepper off after realizing the severity of the situation.

"Actually, I was just leaving," Pepper put in, ignoring Tony's pleas when he tried begging her to stay, "I'll walk you two down."

Ada glanced at Tony warily when she caught the pleading look he was giving Pepper. As much as he wanted her to stay, Ada suspected that this was something he needed to do on his own. Especially when she caught sight of the eerie blue cube that showed up in one of the files. She couldn't shake off the feeling that once again, SHIELD had meddled with something it didn't understand, and, had paid the price for such interference.

* * *

 **AN: I certainly wasn't expecting to get so many favorites and follows in one update :) Or, a review for that matter! Thanks to ShinigamiLovesApples for reviewing, any feedback is appreciated :)**

 **ShinigamiLovesApples - Thank you! I'm just happy writing this; I'll keep posting new chapters, regardless of whether I get reviews or not. But, I do appreciate your feedback, and hope that you enjoyed this chapter :)**


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

" _Yeah in this wasteland where I'm livin', There is a crack in the door filled with light And it's all that I need to get by, Yeah in this wasteland where I'm livin' There is a crack in the door filled with light, And it's all that I need to shine, All of these people I meet It seems like they're fine,Yeah in some ways I hope that they're not And their hearts are like mine, It's wrong when it seems like work To belong all I feel is hurt..._ " - Wasteland, NEEDTOBREATHE

* * *

"The Tesseract was an energy source that we were trying to utilize," Coulson explained as they headed for their destination, "Fury believed that there was a way to use it as an energy source ten times greater than oil and electricity."

Ada frowned when she heard the disapproval in his voice. It was clear there was more going on than just a renewable source of energy. They'd started discussing the reason behind their flight to the Hellicarrier via helicopter. Knowing that the Tesseract was a powerful source of energy, it could also be weaponized. Which led her to guessing the real reason behind Fury's intentions on keeping the cube. She knew SHIELD wasn't above using the Tesseract as a weaponized object. If they had the power to convert energy into a powerful weapon, they would try.

"But, in the end, the Tesseract couldn't be controlled," she concluded, her frown deepening as she thought of how this had started in the first place. Pepper had left them for a meeting shortly after they reached the bottom floor of the Tower. Now, with Steve in tow, they were on their way to the Hellicarrier. "Why was SHIELD trying to control it? It sounds as if they were trying to use it as some kind of weapon."

That caught Steve's attention. From the files that she'd read on him, the Tesseract was a weapon that had been used during World War II. The Red Skull had learned how to harness its power and turn it again his enemies. Though, in the end, even he couldn't contain its energy for long.

What bothered Ada more than anything was the fact that SHIELD wanted to get into the energy business. Ever since Tony himself had changed his ways, it seemed like everyone else was trying to follow suit. The problem was, there was only so much one could do with that field of work.

Steve himself was reading the files that Coulson had given him. He hadn't been surprised when he saw Ada waiting with Coulson. Instead, he focused his attention on the files in front of him while they talked. Not that Ada couldn't blame him – the Avenger's Initiative was something that would have thoroughly confused anyone who wasn't familiar with SHIELD. The files that they managed to put together were based mostly on individuals they believed were best suited for the Avenger's Initiative. It still annoyed her that she wasn't on said database. Steve had asked why she wasn't on the files, but Coulson simply answered his question with a frown of his own.

"I'm afraid that isn't for me to answer," Coulson shook his head. Though, Ada hadn't missed the uneasiness in his voice. He'd sounded shaken enough as it was when he reached the Tower. Now, she knew something else was bothering him. "Power like that in the wrong hands is dangerous enough, let alone in the hands of a madman like Loki."

Ada glanced at Steve self-consciously when she noticed a video play out on the files he'd been scanning. She grimaced when she saw the labs where Banner had turned into the Hulk for the first time. It had been a long time since she last spoke with Banner. Seeing the video was just another reminder that they had worked together for a short time, and that she'd fought alongside the Hulk. Though the memories of fighting alongside him hadn't been all that pleasant, Banner had proven himself to be an invaluable friend in the end. She knew he didn't deserve the reputation that everyone had given him; all he wanted to do was help people.

"So, this Doctor Banner was trying to replicate the serum that was used on me?" Steve asked as the video finished playing.

"A lot of people were. You were the world's first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula," Coulson replied, glancing in Ada's direction.

She simply shrugged, knowing that she didn't have any say in the matter, as far as Banner was concerned. When they first met, she promised that she wouldn't give away too much information. Ada had maintained that promise, even after Fury asked whether or not she'd told Banner about SHIELD.

"Didn't really go his way, did it?" Steve asked, frowning when another video played out.

He made a face when Banner managed to Hulk out again, this time killing a dozen people in his way. Ada had to look away from the sight, realizing that while Banner hadn't been at fault for what happened, he often took the blame for those incidents.

"Not so much. When he's got that thing though, guy's like a Stephen Hawking."

She had to hide the grin that followed at the mention of Hawking. Even Tony admired Hawking's work, and he had often talked about him. Hell, Ada had seen the posture of geniuses like Albert Einstein on his wall in the lab. Try as he might, Tony was a fanboy when it came to world-famous scientists and geniuses.

"He's like a… really smart person," Coulson tried explaining, though, it sounded as if he was just setting himself up for further embarrassment.

By now, Ada was smothering a fit of laughter as she watched his excitement get the better of him. Coulson was a huge fan of Captain America. Getting to work with him had been a dream come true, for Coulson. Hearing him stutter was making it impossible to hold back her laughter.

"I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you, officially. I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping."

Her cheeks were beginning to burn after biting the for so long. By the time she finally lost it, she was gasping for air after holding her laughter in for so long. Coulson threw her an incredulous look when he noticed that she was laughing at him. Steve just looked between the two of them in amusement, albeit he was a little put off with Coulson's behavior.

"Is he always like this?" he asked, voice dropping to a whisper.

"Not usually," she whispered back, struggling to hold back her laughter.

She really wished she had a camera with her. It would have made for some perfect blackmail. Considering how stoic Coulson usually was, Ada found it almost comical that he tried hiding his embarrassment. He made it painfully obvious that he was a fanboy, whether he wanted to admit it out loud or not. She had never seen Coulson act that way around anyone.

"I mean, I was… I was present while you were unconscious from the ice. You know, it's really, it's just a… just a huge honor to have you on board," he babbled on, ignoring the fact that both Ada and Steve were just offering their best smiles.

With Coulson struggling to maintain his composure around Steve, Ada thought back to how SHIELD had gotten its hands on the Tesseract in the first place. She had a feeling that the Tesseract itself had been with Steve, at the time. Which meant SHIELD likely held it under lock and key until finding a need to utilize its energy.

It wasn't until feeling a hand on her shoulder that Ada glanced at Steve in surprise. She knew that they hadn't talked much since their encounter at the cafe. But, their conversation had led to a surprise that Ada hadn't expected. Fury's idea of her teaching him the use of modern technology was something that left her feeling worried, especially when she already knew she wasn't a good teacher to begin with.

"You alright?" he asked curiously.

"I'll be fine once we get the Tesseract out of Loki's hands," she replied with a shrug.

Along with getting Clint back on their side. Hearing that he'd been taken by Loki was enough to leave her fists clenching with outrage. The archer had been her teacher prior to switching over to Natasha. Knowing that he had been taken only drove her to find Loki and end everything before it got worse.

Relief swept through her when the helicopter reached the Hellicarrier. The sudden jolt that followed caused Ada to lurch forward as she reached for the nearest railing. She was ready to hop out after Steve when Coulson suddenly stopped her, pulling her aside.

"Ada, wait. I was… kind of hoping that you could get Captain America to sign the trading card collection I have," he admitted, sounding more embarrassed than ever.

Ada rose an eyebrow at his sudden request. She'd suspected that he wanted those trading cards signed. What she wasn't expecting was for him to flat-out ask if she could get them signed. Steve was already likely put off enough with Coulson's admiration.

"Why trust me with that request?" she asked, feeling embarrassed herself with the idea of getting them signed.

"Because he trusts you, as far as I can tell," Coulson replied without missing a beat, "And I'm… I'd rather not be seen as the guy who creeped Captain America out."

That was enough for Ada to smirk in amusement.

"I think you've gotten past that, already," she retorted, ignoring the incredulous look that followed, "But, I'll see what I can do."

She'd never seen Coulson act like that, before. It was strange, and it unnerved her to the point where she tried to slip away before he could ask her to do anything else. Her shoulders sagged in relief when she spotted someone familiar standing on the airstrip.

"Agent Stark." Ada ducked her head at the sound of Natasha's voice as the redhead approached her. Curt and to the point as always, Ada wasn't surprised with her lack of emotions. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, though, I wish it was under better circumstances," Ada nodded in agreement. Though Natasha had her reasons for keeping secrets and her lack of trust in people, there were the rare occasions when they would open up to each other. "How are you coping?"

"I'm coping," she replied with a shrug.

She left it at that, and she turned to watch as Steve tried taking everything in at once.

The Hellicarrier was an amazing airship. It was like a floating city, with dozens of levels inside. On four sides were the blades that carried the Hellicarrier through the sky. The ship itself was designed in a way that it could float in the sky for days on end without the need to refuel.

"It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was gonna swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards, yet?" Natasha asked when she reached Steve.

She almost laughed at Steve's expression when Natasha mentioned the trading cards. The fact that Coulson trusted her enough to ask Steve if he could sign them said something. She had a feeling Tony would have gotten a kick out of seeing Coulson act that way, if he was given the chance.

"Trading cards?" Steve asked as he tried to comprehend just how popular Captain America really was.

"They're vintage; he's very proud of them," Ada replied.

It was at that moment when Ada spotted another familiar face waiting for them. She couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she reached Banner. He may have looked uneasy, and was pacing around while constantly looking over his shoulder, but, he looked good for someone who had been on the run.

"Doctor Banner," Steve greeted him with a handshake.

"Oh, yeah. They told me you'd be coming," Banner replied, returning the gesture. He didn't look the least bit surprised when he spotted Ada standing beside Natasha. "Didn't know you were so comfortable around these types of people."

Ada only smirked at that as she gave him a welcoming hug, relieved to see that he was okay. She knew that Banner had been on the run from the military for some time. After the incident in Harlem, she couldn't necessarily blame him for wanting to stay undetected.

"You get used to it, after a while," she replied when he returned the gesture. "It's good to see you again, Bruce."

"You too, Ada."

She hadn't missed the looks written across Natasha or Steve's faces. Working alongside him had taught her that he shouldn't blame himself for what had happened. If anything, the military and Ross were to blame for what had happened. They were the ones who pushed him into developing the serum. They were the ones who wanted to control the Hulk, and weaponize him.

"Word is, you can find the cube," Steve cut in after recovering from his initial surprise.

"Is that the only word on me?" Banner asked warily.

She glanced at Steve nervously, knowing full-well what Banner meant by that.

"Only word I care about," Steve reassured him.

"Must be strange for you, all of this," Banner added, looking pointedly at all the technology scattered along the airstrip.

Steve wasn't necessarily focused on the tech, though. He was more interested in the agents who were currently being drilled. A few others were carrying rifles around their shoulders, preparing for the worst outcome. Ada could remember the days when she had been part of those drills herself. When she first joined the agency, it had been a huge shock to find herself being dragged into some of the regulation drills that older agents were forced to take.

"Well, this is actually kind of familiar," Steve remarked thoughtfully.

Suddenly, an announcement was made that the Hellicarrier was getting ready to launch. By now, the agents standing around the airstrip made a run for the nearest door. Launches were the best part of the Hellicarrier, though. Ada had been lucky enough to see the first launch, and had been awed by the power it took to get such a huge ship into the air.

"Gentlemen, you may wanna step inside in a minute," Natasha warned them, "It's gonna get a little hard to breathe."

The Hellicarrier began to shake violently just as she said that, causing Banner and Steve to lurch forward in surprise.

"Is this a submarine?" Steve asked, glancing at Natasha curiously.

"Really? They want me in a submerged pressurized metal container?" Banner put in. Ada had to admit, she missed Banner's sense of humor. She could understand why he was so uneasy, though. If he suddenly Hulked out while the Hellicarrier was in the air, the results could have been disastrous. He and Steve peered over the ledge, only to see that the Hellicarrier was actually rising, rather than sinking, "Oh, no. This is much worse."

As they headed inside the interior of the ship, Ada thought back to how this crazy adventure had started in the first place. She never would have considered SHIELD as part of her life until she was adopted by Tony. She wondered if things would have been any different, if she'd never left the orphanage.

All she ever wanted was to help people. SHIELD had given her that opportunity. Tony had given her an opportunity to have a family, and a somewhat normal life. She could never thank Tony or even Coulson enough for what they'd done for her.

Director Fury was already waiting for them when they reached the bridge. Agents were stationed at computers that were scanning various parts of the world for Loki or the Tesseract. Any sign of his location was better than nothing, as far as Ada was concerned.

"Gentlemen." Fury's curt greeting was enough for Ada to raise an eyebrow.

She rose an eyebrow when Steve passed Fury a ten dollar bill, looking more than awestruck with the sight of the bridge.

She had to admit, the place was impressive looking. As Ada took everything in, she noticed that panoramic windows overlooked the sky the Hellicarrier was soaring through. Above, she could see the communications office that overlooked the bridge. Again, agents were everywhere keeping an eye on their monitors and working on various tasks. Because of Loki's recent attack, everyone needed to remain alert and aware of their surroundings.

"Doctor, thank you for coming," Fury went on as Banner approached him cautiously.

"Thank you, for asking nicely," Banner replied with a curt nod. Ada didn't miss the sarcasm in his tone, suggesting that he had been dragged here against his will. "So, uh… how long am I staying?"

Ada tilted her head to one side as she looked at Fury, wondering the same thing. The sooner they found Loki and the Tesseract, the better off they were.

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the clear," Fury replied.

"Where are you with that?" Director Fury looked at Coulson to explain.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cell phones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

Coulson's explanation left Ada frowning. She knew from what the files read that the Tesseract ran on a unique energy pattern. Even with all of that technology, it would still be difficult to find the cube.

"That's still not going to be enough," she remarked.

"You have to narrow the field," Banner nodded in agreement, "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

"How many are there?"

"Call every lab you know, tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?"

Ada had a feeling Banner was going to love the lab they'd set up for him. It was installed with some of the latest technology. She just hoped that it was a stress free environment for him. Given his circumstance, the less stress, the better.

"Agent Romanoff, would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please," Fury ordered.

"You're gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys," Natasha told him as they walked past.

"I've seen the progress reports Romanoff left for you," Fury added before Ada could slip past. "You've been pushing yourself."

"Better than being treated like a third wheel," she muttered under her breath.

She knew he was right. As much as she hated to admit it, she had been pushing herself to the limits. It was more than just a distraction from the stress of finding out who she was. Her relationship with Tony had only been strained when they first met. Now, she didn't even know where she belonged. There was a time when she thought she knew. But now, it felt as if her search had never ended in the first place.

"Look, Ada, we can't have you passing out on us because you've reached your limit," Fury snapped after pinching the bridge of his nose. Even he knew how stubborn she could be, and, he was already at his wits' end with her. "The Council is already debating whether it's safe to have you in the agency or not."

That was enough for her blood to run cold. Ada had always known that there was tension between her agreement in joining SHIELD, and the Council. They never liked the idea that a kid had joined the agency. Now that they had proof that she wasn't capable of handling the stress, they'd just use that as an excuse to kick her out.

She let out a sigh, knowing full-well that was the last thing she wanted, "What exactly do you suggest I do, in the meantime?" she pressed.

If Fury wanted her to be part of the Avengers, she would have to do _something_. She hated feeling useless.

"Take a break. We'll call you when we need you," Fury replied, brushing off her concern, "Believe me, I won't let the Council take you off duty."

Ada gave a faint nod, aware that was the least she could do. She just hoped that he was right, about convincing the Council to let her stay. Otherwise, she didn't know what she would do with herself.

…

When she first agreed to sign up for SHIELD, Ada never expected her life to take a turn the way it did. She supposed she should have thanked Coulson for giving her a chance, along with Fury. Both men seemed to think she was fully capable of being part of the 'Avenger's Initiative'. Yet, she couldn't forget that she still had a mission of her own. To find out why the Aliquid, her people, fled to Earth and were hunted down like a pack of wild animals. None of that should have happened; from what she was able to gather, her people were peaceful and had only tried making a living on a strange planet filled with strange people.

"Agent Stark, your presence is requested on the bridge."

Ada frowned at the voice speaking through the com, and, held back a knowing sigh. With all eyes on the Tesseract and Loki, Ada knew it was only a matter of time before they found him. She just hoped that this didn't end in miserable failure. If Loki was anything like Thor had described him while she was in New Mexico, she suspected they were in for a nasty surprise. Anyone unprepared for the fight would find themselves a sitting target for Loki's attack.

She rose an eyebrow when she noticed that Director Fury was already waiting for her when she reached the bridge. Steve was standing nearby as well, frowning at whatever they had picked up from the scanners. Ada glanced at Fury in confusion when she caught the stern look he was giving her.

"I want you to go with Rogers down in Stuttgart," he explained. That was enough to catch Ada by surprise. She tilted her head to one side, not liking the idea of working alongside Steve already. She'd already overheard him judging her just because she shared the same last name as Tony. "We've already got an invitation set up for the main event."

She didn't even want to know how they were able to get an invitation. Knowing SHIELD, anything was possible. With that thought in mind, Ada quickly went off to get ready for the mission at hand, already aware of the dangers that lay ahead.

* * *

 **AN: Hopefully this won't be too confusing to readers; I do plan on adding a lot of changes that differ from the original in this part of the story. Also, I wanted to thank everyone for favoriting and following this story, so far! Your support means the world to me :) And, a shout out to ShinigamiLovesApples for reviewing!**

 **ShinigamiLovesApples - I'm glad that you enjoyed it :) I'm hoping you'll enjoy this chapter; though for some reason I've got mixed feelings for it. Thanks again for reviewing!**


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

She was thankful to get some time off after she was dropped off not far from the Stuttgart Opera House. Her mission was to go inside the Opera House and detain Loki with as little commotion as possible. Which, was easier said than done. From what she had gathered during Thor's short stay in New Mexico, Loki was the type of person who wouldn't be taken down so easily. To top things off, he liked to put on a display and hurt those around him if it was necessary.

It was a wonder Fury trusted her at all with a mission like this. Considering he had warned her that the Council wanted her to take it easy, she knew that this mission was risky. Ada shook her head at the thought, knowing that she needed to focus on the path before her.

Germany was a beautiful country. She was lucky that Tony often brought her along with him during business trips. Anytime he stopped by a different country, she always bought at least one souvenir. Aside from that, she loved the fact that these people were able to pull themselves back together even after World War II.

Right now, she was wearing a green dress with high heels, trying to blend in with the crowd. Her hair wasn't pulled up like it usually was. Instead, she had it cropped up to the side in curls like Natasha's had been. The only reason she dressed for the occasion was to blend in. Hopefully, she didn't look too inconspicuous.

The invitation she was given had been one that was originally addressed to Tony, according to Fury. Apparently, Tony had left a large donation for whatever project they were on for the department holding the gala. It gave SHIELD the perfect opportunity to get her an inside look at what the gala was all about.

Soon enough, she reached the Opera House. The building itself was massive and old looking, with large marble pillars holding up the roof. Stairs led to the massive ballroom where the gala was being held, and the head scientist of the research project was giving a speech. Most of the people at the gala spoke German and English, but the scientist giving the speech spoke in German.

Ada pulled out the invitation and showed it to the guard, feeling more than relieved that Fury had been prepared for such an occasion. Everyone began greeting her the moment she walked inside. An orchestra was placed near the two-way staircase that led to the main room. The host had already started the speech while Ada stayed in the background, knowing that this was the most likely place where Loki would launch his attack.

A sudden chill swept through her, and, Ada couldn't help but look up when she noticed someone walking down the stairs leading to the main ballroom. Her eyes narrowed when the guest in question reached the ballroom, and he slowly approached her. The suit he was wearing was what really caught her attention, along with piercing green eyes, and a white and green striped scarf. She didn't miss the staff he was holding, either. From the description Fury had given her, Loki himself had used a staff during his first attack at their base.

She was ready to say something when the newcomer suddenly swung his staff into one of the security guards. Her heart nearly skipped a beat too late when she realized the crowd was panicking. It took a few seconds for her to finally catch sight of Loki, who had used some kind of device to drill a hole into the socket of the host's eye. That was enough to send a shudder of disgust through Ada when she realized too late what he was doing.

Once the heinous deed was finished, Loki pulled out the device and his outfit suddenly began shimmering a golden green. Flames began dancing along the tips of her fingers when she noticed that his outfit had changed from that of a suit to a green cape, gold armor and helmet with horns on the top. If Loki had noticed her presence, he didn't give any indication. Ada glanced at the guests that were still running, knocking each other over to get away.

Finally, Loki had looked in her direction as she managed to herd them out of the building before they could hurt one another in their panic. The less damage they received, the better off she felt. Ada knew that if she fought back now, Loki would just use that as an excuse to hurt these people. She couldn't let that happen, not with so much at stake. Instead, she was forced to linger in the background, and wait for the right opening.

"Kneel before me!" Ada flinched at the sound of his voice when he shouted above the rising panic. That only seemed to make it worse. She watched in alarm as the crowd began looking for an escape route, only for any chance of getting away to be blocked by a hologram of Loki. They looked more like mice suddenly caught in the dead end of a maze trying to escape. "I said, kneel!"

He slammed his staff to the ground, this time sending a shockwave through the crowd. Ada flinched once again at the sudden energy that swept through her in that moment. It felt like nothing she'd ever felt before. It took a few seconds for her to recover from the initial surprise as she regained her footing. It was painfully obvious that this guy was stronger than she had anticipated.

"Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state?" he began as he walked down the stairs leading to the front entrance driveway. Ada crouched down in her hiding place, she was all too aware of the hologram that was watching her, "It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

That was enough to send shivers through Ada. The guy was a smooth-talker. But, for all of his smooth-talking, there was something about him that put her on edge. She knew he was dangerous. He'd already killed over eighty men, taken over the minds of several others, and he planned on destroying the world if said world didn't bow down to him.

"Did I not tell you to kneel?" Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when she realized too late that the copy of Loki had grabbed her arm. The strong grip pulled her from her hiding place, and the real Loki was slowly approaching her with a smirk written across his face, "You would dare disobey me, your true king?"

She nearly rolled her eyes at that question. Seeing the terror written across the civilians' faces reminded her that she had to tread around him carefully. If Loki suddenly decided to attack, she knew it would end in disaster. Ada swallowed hard when the copy suddenly pulled at her arm, harder this time. It was just a ploy to show the crowd just how strong he truly was. His scare tactic had been working for a while, but once the crowd saw that someone was standing up to him, it wouldn't last long.

"Well? I am waiting for an answer, you foolish mortal," he sneered.

Ada managed to steal herself as she stood up straighter, glaring at the copy and in the direction of the real version, "You are no true king," she snapped, ignoring the cold glare that followed.

"What was that?" he asked in a mocking tone.

She didn't miss the fact that his scepter was aimed in her direction.

"I said, you are no true king," she repeated, ignoring the fact that her life was in real danger. Before Loki could spit something in response, a piece of concrete suddenly flew in his direction. The god of mischief stumbled in surprise as the copy disappeared, causing the rest of the crowd to flinch. "A true king shows kindness! Respect! And, cares for his subjects! All the traits that you clearly lack!"

A scowl quickly replaced the glare from earlier when the real Loki closed the distance between them. Ada didn't even flinch this time when he reached out and grabbed her by the chin. His strong grip was just another reminder that he wasn't even from this world, much like herself.

"What sort of mortal controls the Midgard, itself?" he demanded while his hand covered her mouth.

Ada only glared back, using the small window of opportunity she had to lick his hand. She almost laughed when he finally released his grip, causing her to drop to the ground in the process. It took a few seconds for her to recover from the initial shock of being dropped and having to lick his hand.

"God, do you Asgardians ever bathe?" she choked out, trying to get the taste out of her mouth.

Loki's face twisted with rage as the rest of the crowd finally dispersed the area. Relief swept through Ada when she realized she'd bought them enough time to get away without getting caught in the crossfire.

"You… You will be the first to burn, mortal!" he spat out the words as he aimed his scepter in her direction once more.

She was ready to make a retort when she noticed with a start that his scepter was glowing. Her heart began racing faster than she thought possible when a shield suddenly flew between them, blocking the blast that would have likely killed her.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." Ada blinked in surprise at the sound of Steve's voice. She'd nearly forgotten that he and Natasha were rendezvousing with her once Loki made an appearance. "Are you alright?" he asked after noticing that she was still there, glaring in Loki's direction.

Seeing him dressed in the new suit that Coulson had designed was a little intimidating, to say the least. Between that and the shock of Loki's attack, Ada simply nodded in response. She finally struggled back to her feet as Steve grabbed his shield and looked at Loki cautiously.

"The soldier. A man out of time," Loki sneered.

"I'm not the one out of time," Steve retorted once he reached Ada's side.

Loki merely glared at them, glancing at his scepter once before firing an attack in their direction. Steve managed to block the attack, but, a chunk of debris swept past Ada. She winced as she felt a piece cut across her ankle, leaving a deep gash in the process.

"Kneel!" Loki shouted as he reached Steve and pressed his scepter against Steve's neck.

"Not today," Steve snapped and suddenly grabbed Loki's scepter, throwing him to the side in the process.

He kept using his shield to block Loki's attacks, while Ada formed a blockade of cement to keep herself protected from further attacks. Steve finally ran towards Loki, flipped back and knocked Loki out with his leg.

 _Of course, he'd make taking an Asgardian down look easy_ , Ada nearly rolled her eyes again when she realized those were moves she could have easily pulled off. Then again, Steve was twice her size in muscle mass. Between that and making sure that the crowd didn't get hurt in the process, she had her reasons for not knocking him out, sooner.

Loki was already back on his feet, and he was ready to charge again when a blast suddenly came from nowhere. Ada rose an eyebrow when she recognized the sound of a repulser blast. It didn't take long for her to spot the familiar red and gold suit that belonged to none other than Tony. He landed beside Ada, hand raised in Loki's direction as the demigod struggled back to his feet.

"Make your move, reindeer games," Tony snapped, the anger in his tone telling Ada that she was in for an earful.

She watched in amusement as Loki's hands flew up, and the cape and helmet disappeared seconds later. Even _he_ knew better than to deal with a pissed off Tony Stark. Though, Ada couldn't shake off the feeling that his sudden decision had been too easy.

"Good move," Tony grumbled once he was sure Loki wouldn't attack, again.

"Mr. Stark," Steve greeted Tony, looking thoroughly uneasy and annoyed with Tony's sudden intrusion.

"Ada, what happened?" Tony asked when he noticed the injury on her leg, ignoring Steve entirely.

She almost groaned at his sudden question. The cut she'd received was deep, and it was bleeding out. But, she'd endured worse injuries. After enduring whatever hell SHIELD's training regime put her through, this felt like nothing. She was suddenly thankful that she had received that training; it prepared her for whatever would happen during missions like these.

"I'll be fine, dad," she muttered, brushing off his concern, "Nothing a little first aid and mouthwash can't fix."

"Mouthwash?" Steve repeated, frowning in confusion.

"All the mouthwash in the world isn't gonna get rid of the taste of his hand," she explained with a shudder, earning a look of disapproval from Tony, "Had to do it in order to get the bastard off of me."

"You need medical attention, now," Tony deadpanned in a tone that said there was no arguing with him. "I'll drag your sorry ass to the hospital, if I have to."

Once again, Ada thought of arguing with Tony's statement. Her mouth was open, ready to spit something in response when she realized Loki was watching their every move. Ada quickly clamped her mouth shut, aware that this wasn't the time or place to argue.

With that said and done, Tony held out one arm to offer support for her to walk, but, she'd simply brushed him off once more. After his last order, she wasn't in any mood to put up with him. Besides, she could still walk, even if it was with a limp.

Loki was thrown onto a seat opposite from the rest of them while Natasha sat in the cockpit. Eventually, Tony had forced Ada to sit down when he noticed she was struggling to stand. She grimaced after taking a seat beside Steve, ignoring the incredulous look Tony threw her as she tried to avoid any eye contact with Loki. She doubted the god of mischief was going to make things easy, for them, on their way to the Hellicarrier. Whatever the case, that flight had been the longest one of her life.

…

By the time they were in the air and headed towards the Hellicarrier, her ankle already started to feel fine. Ada glanced at the area where the debris had cut across, eyes narrowing thoughtfully when she noticed there wasn't any injury, at all. She started rubbing her ankle warily, ignoring the worried looks Tony kept throwing her.

"Your ankle's fine?" Tony asked in surprise when he noticed it was no longer bleeding.

"Seems that way," she replied, rubbing her ankle absentmindedly.

' _You will need your strength for the future, Ada_.'

She froze at the sound of Nadia's voice.

' _Wait, how the heck are you able to communicate with me_?' she demanded.

All she wanted was to know the truth behind her heritage now more than ever. She wanted to know before Nadia was forced to leave again. Even if it was just one little thing, it was better than nothing. It seemed like just when she was about to reach a breakthrough, Nadia would disappear on her. Nadia had tried explaining the process when she was in New Mexico, but she didn't have enough energy to provide a proper explanation.

It was frustrating to know that she was just a few seconds away from knowing the truth, and she was met with silence. She couldn't necessarily blame Nadia for vanishing on her the way she did. The fact that Nadia was communicating with her at all gave her enough hope that she wasn't truly alone in this world.

' _I was able to use what little power I had left to keep my spirit within the necklace_ ,' Nadia replied after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. ' _Our people are able to pass down our spirits to objects that hold value to our kind. This necklace was passed down from generation to generation, with you being the last_.'

Ada furrowed her eyebrows with surprise. She remembered seeing the woman in her dream wearing a necklace similar to the one that she was given as a baby. Her heart sank even further when she realized that Nadia had truly sacrificed herself to save her.

' _Nadia, what happened to our people_?' she asked hesitantly, dreading the answer that would follow.

' _You are not ready for that knowledge, Ada_ ,' Nadia replied within seconds.

She was ready to ask more questions when she realized Nadia had left her, again. Ada sucked in a breath; knowing that the woman who had been her mother was talking was enough to leave her mind reeling. There were plenty of stories of such possibilities, but, to know that it was real and happening to her left her wondering what else her people were capable of.

Ada looked up, brows furrowing once more when she noticed everyone was watching her curiously. Even Loki looked a little uncomfortable as he shifted further away from the seats across from him.

"What?" she demanded, already feeling uncomfortable as it was with Loki in the quinjet.

"Your uh, necklace was glowing," Steve informed her, shaking his head as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Was it?" she half-mumbled, asked.

Truthfully, she wasn't sure how to explain the whole thing without making it sound crazy. Only a few people knew the truth behind her past. Natasha, Clint and Coulson were the three people she trusted the most with that secret, and, she preferred keeping it that way.

"You were talking to her, again, weren't you?" Natasha's question caused Ada to flinch visibly.

Finally, Tony seemed to realize that it was a subject that left Ada feeling uneasy. She'd mentioned seeing her mother in her dreams to him before. But Tony never fully understood what it meant to her, or that those dreams had some kind of meaning to them.

Despite that, he was curious, and his curiosity often got the better of him, "Okay, who is 'she'?" he asked.

She was saved from answering when a boom of thunder echoed around them, causing the quinjet to shudder slightly. Ada glanced in Loki's direction when she noticed his eyes had widened in panic.

"Where'd this come from?" Natasha's question only left her thinking of one demigod who was capable of conjuring thunderstorms.

Loki's panic only confirmed what, or _who_ she was thinking of. She had been suspecting that Thor would show up sooner rather than later once Loki made his big debut with the people of Earth. After what Loki had done to New Mexico, she was hardly surprised with the notion that he would return eventually.

Rain started pouring around them as the wind picked up. Ada looked around warily as she noticed the hairs along her arms began to stand on end from the lightning. By now, Loki looked as if he was looking for an escape route when he too realized who was approaching them.

"What's the matter? Afraid of a little lightning?" Steve asked.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki replied.

Understanding swept through Ada. As much as she hated to admit it, now would have been a terrible time for Thor to show up. She knew he wasn't aware that they had Loki captured, and would likely come charging in to have him face justice for his actions. But, he had already committed enough crimes to answer to SHIELD's idea of justice.

It was only a few minutes later when the hangar door suddenly flew open. At that point, Loki looked utterly terrified when someone charged through the door and grabbed him by the neck, knocking both Tony and Steve aside in the process. The intruder, who she knew by now was Thor, looked in her direction in surprise before flying out of the quinjet, with Loki in hand.

"And, now there's that guy," Tony muttered while struggling to stand up.

"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asked over her shoulder.

"Think that guy's a friendly?" Steve asked.

"Doesn't matter; if he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract is lost," Tony snapped. He turned to Ada as his mask slid over once more, "You're staying here."

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve protested, ignoring the scowl written across Ada's face.

 _You'd think by now, he knows that I won't listen_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes. She was already aware of how rash Tony could be when it came to making decisions.

"I have a plan: Attack," Tony retorted.

 _Typical_. Ada crossed her arms and glared back. She knew that if Thor was back, he would likely try and take Loki back to Asgard. If he did that, they would lose the Tesseract like Tony had said. Once he jumped out of the quinjet, his thrusters went on full blast, and he flew into the direction Thor and Loki had gone. Steve had already reached for a parachute, ready to jump after Tony when Natasha spoke up.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap," Natasha warned him as he adjusted his chute while Ada crept towards the hangar door.

"I don't see how, ma'am," he replied.

"These guys come from legends; they're practically gods," Natasha pointed out.

By now, Ada had already made her way towards the door as Steve stood nearby, throwing her a warning look. She knew what she was getting herself into. After living with Tony for fourteen years, she had gotten used to his overprotective nature. Jumping out of quinjets and buildings was part of her SHIELD training, though, and something she had been prepared for.

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." Ada almost laughed at that; most people weren't brave enough to admit their beliefs out loud. "What are you doing?" he asked after realizing her intentions.

"Joining you; Thor knows who I am, so, that should help give him some understanding as to what's going on," she explained.

Steve looked like he was about to protest when he thought better of it. Even if he did, she would still go. She wasn't planning on getting left behind, again. Not even if it meant putting up with Tony's rants when it was over.

Once that was said and done, he finally jumped out of the quinjet, with Ada following suit. Chunks of rock soon flew in her direction as she used them for momentum, and to keep herself from crashing to the ground. Steve watched in amazement as she managed to hang on to a couple of rocks while using them as a means to reach the ground without causing further damage.

Controlling the Earth itself took more self-control than she would have liked. She understood why Nadia had warned her not to use it – that kind of power was potentially dangerous, if she ended up losing control. Steve landed on the ground beside her, parachute falling around him.

"You can control the Earth?" he asked in surprise.

"Along with water and fire," she replied with a nod, "It takes a while to get used to." She paused after glancing over her shoulder, to where Thor and Loki had been arguing just moments ago. "Think you can scale that mountain?"

"I don't think I have to," he replied, watching as the Iron Man suit flew over them.

Thor was suddenly tossed down the mountain when Tony reached him. The force of the impact was enough to make the ground shake, causing pine needles to fall down. Ada rolled her eyes when she realized where this was headed. If she knew Tony, he would jump in without hesitation and not explain himself. Which meant Thor was going to fight back, and, the end results weren't going to be pretty.

Luckily, Tony's suit was easy enough to track down. Steve easily kept up with Ada as she kept an eye on the glowing arc reactor that stuck out like a sore thumb in the darkness. It didn't take long for them to reach a large clearing, and it looked like everything already went to hell. By the time Ada reached the clearing, Tony had already headbutted Thor, twice, only to be flung into a tree.

"Hey! That's enough!" Steve shouted, causing both men to stop in their tracks when he threw his shield between them. Ada almost scoffed under her breath when both Thor and Tony glared at him in response, with Tony raising his hand until he noticed her standing next to Steve. "Now, I don't know what you plan on doing, here—"

"I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes!" Thor shouted.

"Then prove it. Put that hammer down," Steve ordered.

That was enough for Ada's eyes to widen. She glanced between Tony and Thor, realizing too late what the Thunderer was about to do.

"Uh… yep! No! Bad call! He loves his hammer!" Tony warned him.

Ada winced when Thor suddenly swung his hammer, knocking Tony into a tree in the process as he rushed in Steve's direction, "You want me to put the hammer down?" he demanded.

Just as his hammer was about to make contact, Steve threw up his shield to protect him. The contact the hammer made with his shield sent a vibration that shook the entire forest, knocking them all out. Ada struggled to stand up, her knees still a bit wobbly from the impact.

"What the hell was that?" she groaned, rubbing the back of her neck as she managed to stand up, again. She only glared at Tony when he finally reached her, crossing his arms in annoyance, "Don't even start," she added. "I swear that if you idiots don't stop fighting, I can and I will take this whole forest down with you."

Even Thor looked offended by her insult, though he didn't bother making a retort. Tony just looked more peeved than usual, though Ada had already known he would.

"Are we done, here?" Steve added, narrowing his eyes when Tony exchanged a look with Thor. Relief swept through Ada when they finally left it at that. There wasn't any point in fighting unless the circumstances demanded it. Right now, they needed to focus their energy and effort on finding the Tesseract. "Can you really do that?" he added to Ada once he was sure they wouldn't fight again. "Destroy an entire forest?"

"I have to focus on controlling my powers, everyday," she explained warily while looking in Loki's direction, "If I don't, things can get… messy."

For once, Steve wasn't sure what to say as he looked at her thoughtfully. There was still a lot she didn't know about her powers, and, she was only just beginning to understand the extent of them. The problem was, she had no idea what her limits were.

"That… That can't be easy," he said after a moment's pause.

"It isn't," she admitted before meeting his gaze, "But, it's necessary."

Especially if it meant keeping the ones she cared about safe.

She hadn't missed the fact that Tony was glaring in their direction. Ada bit back another groan, suddenly wishing that a hole would open up and swallow her. She had a feeling that if Tony noticed they were talking at all, he wouldn't be happy. Seeing him now only confirmed her suspicions.

 _This is going to be awkward_ , was the only thought running through her mind when they returned to the quinjet.


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

"Stark." Tony barely paused in his stride, trying to get away from the ever-annoying presence of Captain America. It was bad enough his father had talked about Captain America all the time. To have him alive and well, and watching him talk to his own daughter made it even worse. It wasn't until hearing the sound of footsteps that Tony finally stopped and turned to glare at Rogers, who hardly looked surprised with his attitude, "Did you have any idea she was that dangerous?"

Tony narrowed his eyes. He'd seen the things that Ada was capable of. She was a strong girl, as much as he hated to admit it. Despite all of that, and the fact that she was now almost twenty, that hadn't stopped him from being the overprotective parent he was. Adopting her had been the right call, and he didn't plan on changing his mind about that anytime soon.

"To some extent, yes," he sighed with frustration, "Look, Rogers, there's some things in this world that you're not meant to understand. And, she's one of them. So, I suggest you keep her hands off of her, otherwise, there will be consequences."

That was enough for Rogers to look back incredulously, "You think I'm hitting on her?" he asked in disbelief.

Bucky had always been better with women than himself. Even so, he knew the modern terms for courting a woman when he heard them. That didn't make Tony's accusation any better, though. He'd almost laughed at the thought, knowing full-well that dating her was out of the question. After seeing how similar they were personality-wise, he had no doubt that they were more alike than he would have liked.

"If the shoe fits," Tony rolled his eyes knowingly.

"Look, the last thing I'd do is hit on her," Rogers tried reasoning with him.

Even if there was something about her that had caught his attention. Something told him that a date with Ada Stark would only end in disaster. Especially with his track record.

"Good, then, do me a favor and stay away from her," he snapped, "She's off-limits, and I can and will kick your ass if you try pulling any moves on her."

Rogers only watched him turn down the hallway after that. He nearly rolled his eyes at the realization of what Tony was implying. Whatever happened, he didn't plan on going down that road. Not if he had any say in the matter.

…

Ada was sitting in the middle of the medical bay while the doctor checked on her most recent injuries. Her annoyance only increased when Tony insisted that she needed to stop by and have her injury looked at, even though they were already mostly healed. He'd grabbed hold of her when she disobeyed him, telling her that she was grounded for the umpteenth time. Despite the fact that she would continue going out of her way to break whatever ground rules were made.

She glared in the direction of the doctor that was studying the notes he'd written down. There was something about doctors that she couldn't stand. Banner was about the only doctor she could tolerate, and that was because she could relate to him, somewhat. He had more control over the Hulk than he realized. But it was the fact that he turned into the Hulk that made it somewhat easier for her to relate to him. They were both seen as outsiders because they were different to those who knew them.

The doctor was thoroughly confused as to why he couldn't figure out how her injuries had healed so quickly on their own. Though, Ada was beginning to understand that it had something to do with her powers. As if controlling the elements wasn't enough. She suddenly wished that her powers had somehow come with an instruction manual. Having some sort of explanation as to what she was capable of would have come in handy. Especially during times of desperation.

"Well, as far as I can tell, there isn't anything broken or even remotely damaged," he sighed after running through the list for what felt like the umpteenth time.

She'd refused to have her blood taken after they suggested it. They made the claim that if they wanted to find out more of what was going on, it was necessary. Ada couldn't shake off the feeling that drawling her blood wouldn't end well for anyone. Something in the back of her mind kept telling her that they would use that information against her. Or they would do something worse with her blood samples. Because she knew so little about her powers or where she came from, she wasn't willing to take those risks.

"So, does this mean I'm free to go?" she asked hopefully.

It was bad enough that Tony insisted she should visit the medical bay. Being stuck in such a dull and dismal place only added to the effect as she hopped off the cot and stretched out her arms. They were still a little sore from the rough workout that Loki and Thor had given her, but she would recover from that as well.

The doctor made a face when he realized how stubborn she was being. She knew it was partly due to the fact that she was stuck in medical bay in the first place. But, another part of her wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything, despite Fury's orders that she should have been taking it easy.

"Yes," he sighed.

She barely suppressed a whoop of joy at being released, and she made a run for it before he could change his mind. She was already sick of the place, and she planned on giving Tony a piece of her mind for putting her there, in the first place. Though, he probably wouldn't be the first to say that it was safer there.

It didn't take her long to reach the bridge. Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise when she noticed that everyone was already there, except for Tony. Steve was sitting between Natasha and Banner when Ada reached the table, talking about the video feed from earlier. She had only heard the last bits of the video when it went dark, and Fury left Loki in his cell. She was hardly surprised that Loki had refused to talk; the guy was a madman who was only after power.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner asked.

"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?" Steve asked after looking at Thor.

"He has an army called the Chitauri, that none of Asgard nor any world know. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. Return, I suspect, for the Tesseract," Thor explained.

"An army, from outer space?"

Steve's question was enough for Ada to glance at him warily. She suddenly wondered how much he knew about her people, and where _she_ came from. She had a feeling he would see her differently if he knew the truth. The thought sent a shiver of unease through her as she found herself wishing that people would be more accepting of those who were different.

"So, he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for," Banner murmured thoughtfully.

"Selvig?"

Thor looked at them all questioningly. Ada looked down at the table as guilt swept through her. She hadn't told Selvig, Jane or Darcy that she worked for SHIELD for a reason. If they knew, she doubted they would ever trust her again.

"He's an astrophysicist," Banner explained.

"He's a friend," Thor muttered.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours," Natasha put in.

The bitterness in her voice was just another painful reminder that Loki had taken more than just the Tesseract. Ada swallowed hard at the thought of losing Clint. He was more than just a trainer. He'd taught her everything she knew, and he had become a good friend, despite their differences. Though he'd always tried pushing her to the limits, she knew that his intentions were usually good.

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here," Steve added.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him."

Ada glanced at Banner in surprise when he said that. It was good to know that he still had a sense of humor, despite all the crap the world threw at him.

"I don't care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother," Thor snapped, glaring at Banner as he jumped to Loki's defense.

Ada shook her head knowingly. The last thing she wanted or needed was a fight between Thor and the Hulk. Especially on the Hellicarrier. She knew that tensions were already high because of Loki's attack. If anyone made one wrong move, or if they said the wrong thing that crossed the line, it could only end in disaster.

"He killed eighty people in two days," she muttered.

"He's adopted."

It didn't take long for the group to start bickering among themselves. Ada held back a sigh of frustration when she realized where this was headed. If Loki was planning an invasion, they couldn't just sit idly by and argue over something so pointless. His attack could happen at any time, and they were sitting around doing nothing.

"Iridium, what did they need the iridium for?"

Banner's question caught Ada by surprise. She knew iridium was used to stabilize raw energy. If Selvig needed iridium, there was a possibility that he could have been building a new portal.

"It's a stabilizing agent." Ada rolled her eyes when Tony decided to cut in and finally joined them. Though, she was more surprised to see Coulson following him onto the bridge, looking more frustrated than ever with whatever Tony had told him, "Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD." He walked over to where Ada was standing beside Thor. She hadn't missed the twinkle in his eyes when he talked about the iridium, or the fact that SHIELD had failed at all, "No hard feelings Point Break, you've got a mean swing."

"Is he always like this?" Thor muttered under his breath.

"More or less," Ada shrugged as if it was something she had put up with most of her life, "Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants," she added.

Tony simply nodded in agreement, while Steve narrowed his eyes in confusion. Science had always been one of her favorite subjects, next to history. Eventually though, Tony got bored with the conversation. Ada crossed her arms when he reached the controls and started pushing a few buttons.

"That man is playing Gallaga!" he suddenly announced, catching one of the agents goofing off at the computer, "Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." He started to move around, as if to get a good view of the whole bridge while trying to cover his eye. By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh when she realized what Tony was trying to do, "How does Fury even see these?"

"He turns."

Agent Maria Hill's response was enough for Ada to turn in her direction; she hadn't even noticed her arrival until then. The brunette was Director Fury's second in command when it came to how things were run. It wasn't entirely surprising to see how tense she was with the whole situation they were in. Maria wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed surrounding herself with powerful people, though she would never admit that out loud.

"Sounds exhausting."

She gave Maria a curt nod as the brunette reached her, arms crossing while she kept an eye on Tony. Despite his antics, he was taking the situation at hand seriously. Ada knew Tony well enough now to know that he had been doing his homework. He likely already knew all of the material that was needed to build a new portal.

"The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube," Tony finished.

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Maria asked.

"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

Ada glanced around when she noticed the looks of confusion written across Thor and Steve's faces. Try as they might, she suspected this was something even _they_ would never understand. The science behind Selvig's notes was something that few people would understand. She was grateful that she had taken the time to look over Selvig's notes herself when Coulson handed them to her. After seeing what he had been working on, she knew that opening another portal would likely be disastrous.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked, sounding more exasperated than anything else.

"He'd have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Ada explained with a shrug.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," Tony argued, frowning at the thought of Selvig being capable of pulling off such a move.

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet," Banner quipped, earning a look of surprise from Tony.

Ada almost smirked when she caught the look Tony was giving Banner. Tony had always been a fan of Banner's work, and, this was no different. She had a feeling the two of them would either get along really well, or, hate each other by the end of this venture.

"Finally, someone who speaks English," Tony sighed in relief.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked, looking even more lost than he had been, before.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster," Tony greeted him as they shook hands.

"Thanks, I think," Banner said, ducking his head sheepishly.

"Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him," Fury told them, looking equally as exasperated with Tony's childish behavior.

Though, Ada couldn't blame him. She knew Tony wasn't the easiest person to get along with. Years of living with him had taught her the meaning of patience. While it wasn't easy, she still loved him for taking her in when he did. Few people were lucky enough to see the fatherly side of Tony that she got to see.

"Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon," Steve pointed out.

Ada rose an eyebrow at that, realizing he did have a good point, there. She remembered reading the files on old Hydra weapons that were built in World War II. A lot of them had given off a blue light of energy that reminded her of the Tesseract, and Loki's scepter. She knew that couldn't be a coincidence. Steve did have a point about the scepter being far too similar to that of the Hydra weapons. If there was a connection, then they did need to start their search with his scepter.

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys," Fury muttered.

"Monkeys? I do not understand."

"I do! I understand that reference!" Steve announced.

Tony only rolled his eyes, while Ada struggled not to laugh at both Thor and Steve. She understood why Thor couldn't figure out how Earthly phrases worked, but, Steve's announcement just made him sound desperate.

"Well, doctor, shall we play?" Tony suggested, gesturing for Banner to take the lead. Banner gave a slight nod and stood up, but, not before Tony turned to Ada, "You make sure that you stay out of trouble."

"The same could be said for you," she snorted in laughter, already aware that the labs were just a large playground for Tony, "Try to keep your hands to yourself; Bruce has already been through enough as it is without you making it worse."

By now, even Tony was struggling not to laugh as he trailed after Banner. Ada shook her head once they were gone. She hardly noticed Natasha had slipped away, and, Coulson was talking with Thor. That left Ada with Steve, who looked lost as to what to do now.

"Is he always like that?" Steve finally asked when he joined her. Ada glanced over her shoulder when she noticed the agent Tony had pointed out from earlier was playing Gallaga, again. She was half-tempted to knock some sense into his head when she thought better of it. "What, you're giving me the silent treatment, now?"

He frowned in confusion as he realized something was off.

"Hey, boss, where's the gym located?" she asked when Fury reached them.

"Just down the hall to your left," he replied without missing a beat, not looking the least bit surprised with her question.

She gave a nod to that, relieved to get away from the bridge and take some stress out on training. Hell, anything was better than doing nothing at all. She hated sitting around while there was still work that needed to get done.

Luckily, it didn't take her long to reach the gym, itself. The gym was lined with a state-of-the-art fitness center, along with a sparring mat. What really topped this gym over any public gyms were the simulation rooms where she could set up a virtual session, making it seem like a real mission. She'd often taken advantage of them, and thanks to Jimmy's help, the simulations were almost strong enough to deal with people like her, who had powers.

"Ada, wait!" She barely paused in her stride as she reached for the boxing gloves and slipped them on. One good punch was all it took for the punching bag to sway in Steve's direction, though he caught it with ease and kept it from swinging back, "Can we talk, please?"

She managed to swing another punch again, this time hitting harder than intended. Steve winced at the impact, and she finally let go of the punching bag as it swung towards her. She knew it wasn't entirely his fault for how resentful she felt towards the way things were going. But his attitude and behavior from earlier had been eating away at her. He had no right to compare her to someone he barely knew, especially since she and Tony weren't entirely alike like he clearly believed.

"About what?" she asked after dodging to the side, narrowly avoiding a hit, "I thought you were all about not liking the company of a Stark?"

"It's not that," he tried defending himself, watching in disbelief as she kicked it this time, nearly causing it to lurch forward off the springs, "Look, I met your grandfather, and was good friends with him. And, Tony's nothing like him… which threw me off."

"And, you've automatically assumed that I'm like my _adoptive_ father?" she guessed, earning a look of surprise from the Super Soldier. "I've heard this song and dance before, Steve. People are so quick to judge me just because they assume I'll be like Tony. The truth is, I hate being compared to him," she admitted.

Steve finally looked at her thoughtfully when he realized what she meant by that. After dealing with the press for so many years, she'd simply learned to ignore their accusations that she was like her father. She wanted to be her own person, and not just another name.

"I'm sorry," he apologized as understanding swept through him, "Is that why you joined SHIELD?"

Ada stopped for a brief moment and looked at Steve warily. It wasn't until meeting his blue eyes that she noticed he really _did_ want to understand the truth. He hadn't flat-out admitted that she was like her father, but he _had_ been judging Tony ever since they returned from Stuttgart. She dropped her shoulders and forced herself to relax as she looked back down at the floor.

"I joined because I wanted to make a name for myself," she explained, "I joined, because maybe they could help find out who I really am… _what_ I really am."

The Super Soldier simply nodded in understanding. They finally sat down on a bench where they could both relax and figure out what to do from there. She knew that arguing was pointless. They didn't have the time nor the energy to keep arguing. Especially when they had an army of Chitauri to stop, along with their search for the Tesseract. The only way they were going to get along was by getting to know one another better. Even if it meant going beyond her comfort zone.

"You mean you're not human?" he asked in surprise.

"Obviously," she snorted in response, nearly rolling her eyes, "I don't think most humans are born with the power to control the elements, much less have a glowing necklace and hear voices in their heads."

To most people, that would have sounded crazy. To Steve, he suddenly understood why her necklace had been glowing back on the quinjet. There was still so much that she had to learn, about herself. Ada was more than relieved when Steve left it at that. Instead, he seemed more curious than anything else, but not to the point where he bombarded her with questions. She was thankful for that, and suddenly found herself feeling more confused than ever.

She was relieved when he gave her some much needed alone time. Her mind was already churning with anxiety as it was. If she was able to talk with Nadia before, she needed to find a way to talk with her, again. Something told her the only way she could pull that move off was through meditation, whether she wanted it or not.


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Chapter Thirty**

It amazed Ada at how meditation worked wonders on her frayed nerves. She had spent the last few minutes sitting in the room, hoping she would at least talk with Nadia again. When nothing came up, she had finally given up and decided to focus on maintain control on her emotions. If she did that, at least she wouldn't lose control of her powers.

Once she was finished meditating, she decided to use the free time she had to explore the Hellicarrier to see what Tony was planning. She knew how much he longed to work with Banner. Knowing that, and how childish Tony could be at times, she had a feeling Banner needed some serious relaxation himself.

The bridge itself was buzzing with activity when she reached it. Ada spotted Thor talking with Coulson, who had been keeping tabs on Jane and Darcy since Erik was taken by Loki. Loki had been smart enough to take someone who had built the portal in the first place. Though, Ada suspected Loki had taken Selvig because it was also personal for Thor.

"As soon as Loki took the doctor we moved Jane Foster. We've got an excellent observatory in Traunsee. She was asked to consult there very suddenly yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe," Coulson explained when she got closer.

"Thank you. It's no accident Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread what he plans for him once he's done. Erik is a good man," Thor replied, looking more than relieved to hear that news.

Ada knew how much Jane meant to Thor. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like, for them to be separated for as long as they were. The one bright side of not having any boyfriend meant she didn't have to worry about something like that.

Though, she noticed with a start how wary Thor looked when he glanced around the bridge. She knew the fight against Loki had taken its toll on him. Once again, she couldn't bring herself to imagine what it would have felt like to fight a sibling. From what she had gathered, Loki was Thor's adopted brother. She suspected that Loki was the one who never really got over the fact that he was adopted, and that had fueled his jealousy when he saw how much attention Thor was getting.

"He talks about you a lot. You changed his life. You changed everything around here," Coulson told him.

"They were better as they were," Thor admitted as he glanced back at Coulson, "We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we… we come here battling like Bilchsteim."

Both Coulson and Ada rose eyebrows at that. Bilchsteim sounded like something out of a science fiction novel. Then again, Ada had seen stranger things, out there. She had a feeling where Thor came from, he was used to seeing such creatures.

"I hate to ask, but, what exactly are Bilchsteim?" she asked curiously.

"Bilchsteim. You know; huge, scaly, big antlers. You don't have those?" Thor asked, glancing at them in surprise.

By now, Ada was trying to picture what a Bilchsteim might have looked like. She could only think of weird looking creatures that resembled a combination of a deer and possibly a dinosaur. Though, she doubted that was what Thor had been referring to.

"Don't think so," Coulson shook his head.

"If we did, something tells me they'd be part of some attraction," Ada put in with a shrug.

"They are repulsive, and they trample everything in their path," Thor explained after furrowing his brows in confusion.

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she imagined a dinosaur with big antlers trying to trample everything in its path. Something like that could have existed. She wasn't even sure what category it would fit in, as far as species were concerned.

"When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here, and your people paid the price," Thor started in a pained voice. A shudder ran through Ada as she recalled how the fight in New Mexico had ended. They were lucky it hadn't gotten any worse than Loki sending the Destroyer weapon to the small town, "And now, again. In my youth, I courted war."

"War hasn't started yet. You think you can make Loki tell us what the Tesseract is?"

Ada glanced at Fury in surprise when he reached them. She was always unnerved with the way he managed to sneak up on everyone, without making so much as a peep until necessary. He'd done so multiple times during her training regimes with Clint, and then again when she sparred with Natasha. She suspected Fury got a kick out of sneaking up on people, especially when he saw their reactions.

She decided to leave before Fury tried dragging her into the conversation. If anything, Loki wasn't going to talk, even if Thor managed to rough him up a bit. The only way they could find the Tesseract was if Tony and Banner managed to track it down.

Once she left the bridge, she went on with exploring the Hellicarrier. She had been part of the construction phase when the Hellicarrier was still in the early stages. The problem was, the ship was still large enough that getting lost was an easy thing to do.

Luckily, it didn't take her long to finally reach the room where Tony and Banner had been working. Ada stopped mid-stride, trying to take everything in when she realized the lab really was state of the art. She knew Natasha hadn't been exaggerating when she said Banner would love it. She crossed her arms when she noticed Tony was busy stuffing his face with a bag full of blueberries.

"Busy goofing off, I see," she started, smirking when Tony nearly fell over from where he was standing.

She had to admit, Natasha was right about the lab being like candy-land for people like Banner and Tony. A table was placed in the back of the large panel windows. Placed on top of the table was the scepter that Loki had been using. To the right of the table were the monitors that Banner was currently stationed at, while Tony himself was trying to make himself look busy watching the monitors that scanned Loki's scepter. What really caught her attention were the floating monitors on the far side of the room.

"We can't keep this up until we figure out what Fury really wants with us," Tony deadpanned after he stopped his pacing and took another mouthful of blueberries.

"Exactly what do you mean, by that?" Ada asked as she crossed her arms.

"Come on, Ada. You and I both know that Fury wouldn't call _me_ of all people in unless he was truly desperate," Tony pointed out.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip when she realized he was being serious.

She did know the reason behind Fury asking them to meet together. He'd already made plans for the 'Avenger's Initiative' to start long before Loki's attack. Though, Loki's attack had been a convenient excuse to get them together.

Even that wasn't the real reason behind Fury's decision to bring them all in. SHIELD had been working on weapons that would prove useful in fights against people like Thor and Loki. While she didn't approve of their choice in designing such weapons, she did understand that it was necessary.

"You really should get back to work," she snapped.

Her sudden change in attitude caught Tony's attention. He knew that something was bothering her. Relief swept through her when he didn't press. Ada wasn't in the mood for explaining her behavior, especially when she saw how Tony was acting. His childlike behavior was something she had gotten used to. But, they were also under a threat level that needed to be taken seriously.

"If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster, we can clock this around six hundred teraflops," he went on, ignoring the scowl that followed.

She nearly rolled her eyes when she realized Tony was planning on hacking into SHIELD's database. Considering who she was dealing with, Tony was more than capable of doing so. Though, something in the back of her mind told her that he would regret his actions later on. Tony was the type of person who often allowed his curiosity to get the better of him. Once he made a decision, he usually stayed with it until he saw it through, and that something had to do with Fury's decision in bringing him in.

"All I packed was my toothbrush," Banner chuckled with a shake of his head.

"You know, you should come by Stark Towers sometime. Top ten floors, all R and D. You'd love it, it's candy land."

Tony threw Ada a hopeful look, but she simply shook her head. She wasn't going to push Banner into doing anything he was uncomfortable with. If he wanted to go to New York on his own, that was his decision to make.

"Thanks, but the last time I was in New York I kind of broke… Harlem," he muttered, not bothering to hide the sheepish look that followed.

She hadn't missed the fact that he glanced in her direction. A shudder ran through her as she recalled that fight. The Abomination was the reason behind that attack, not the Hulk. But of course, he blamed himself for what had happened. Not that she was surprised with that notion. Banner was the kind of person who would blame himself for whatever the Hulk had done. He took those attacks personally, and it pained her to see him act that way when he had nothing to do with it.

"Well, I promise a stress free environment. No tension. No surprises."

Before either Ada or Banner could make a move, Tony suddenly grabbed a small shocking device and jabbed it in Banner's side. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when Banner yelped in surprise at the sudden contact.

She was ready to spit something in response when something stopped her. This was what Tony did best. She knew he was a child at heart, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Pulling pranks on someone was one of his favorite past-times when he wasn't busy working on his suits. Though pulling off a stunt like that was something she would have restrained him from doing. If the Hulk did unleash himself upon the Hellicarrier, there was no telling what sort of disaster would follow.

"Nothing?" Tony looked at Banner in surprise when he shook his head in amusement.

"Hey!" Ada bit back a groan at the sound of Steve's voice when he walked in, "Are you nuts?"

"Possibly," she muttered under her breath, earning a smirk from Tony.

"You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?"

Ada rolled her eyes when she realized what Tony was really trying to do. The fact that Banner had agreed to join them told her he had better control over the Hulk than he had when they first met. Even so, it still put her on edge when she saw someone like Tony trying to unleash the Hulk.

"Is everything a joke, to you?" Steve demanded.

"Funny things are," Tony shrugged it off.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offense, doctor," Steve glanced at Banner apologetically, while Ada just crossed her arms and looked back defiantly.

It was almost as if he expected them to act the same. Then again, she couldn't necessarily blame him for thinking she and Tony were exactly alike. The two of them did do a lot of things they shared in common, especially when technology was involved.

 _This is getting old, fast_ , she thought, knowing that Tony would just make things worse than they already were.

"No, it… it's alright. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things," Banner assured him after looking up.

"You're tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut."

"And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark," Steve muttered.

The look he threw Ada was enough of a reminder why she had been avoiding him in the first place. She only glared back after realizing he was expecting her to act the same way. She would have thought their conversation in the gym would have been enough for him to realize they weren't entirely alike.

She turned and left before anyone could get another word in. The last thing she wanted was to deal with their arguments. Tony had a tendency to make things worse before they got any better. She knew him well enough now to know that if he did unleash the Hulk, it would end in disaster for everyone. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she let her back lean against the wall.

It wasn't entirely Tony's fault for the situation they were in. Director Fury was pushing the group to their limits by forcing them together. She knew Tony wouldn't get along with Steve just because Howard Stark had praised his name. Worst still, she knew Natasha likely had her own agenda as far as the 'team' went. What bothered her more than anything, was that Loki was behind all of this. None of this would have happened had he stayed on Asgard. She knew it wasn't fair to blame Thor either, for pushing his brother to that breaking point.

The sound of footsteps echoing down the hall made her eyes snap open. They narrowed moments later when she spotted Steve approaching. Ada was half-tempted to turn and run, but something stopped her. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she was being biased on Tony's opinion of Steve.

"You here to tell me I should focus on the problem, too?" she asked, her voice like chips of ice as Steve froze in his stride and looked at her.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said, back there," he sighed, looking more frustrated than anything else, "Something about Tony just puts me on edge, and you're…"

"Just like him?" she finished for him.

Steve clamped his mouth shut, and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly when he realized what she was implying. She let out a sigh of frustration and looked away, suddenly aware of the building tension again.

"You're not like him," he finally admitted, looking mildly concerned with the fact that he had said it at all.

"Glad to hear it," she muttered under her breath, not bothering to hide the bitterness in her voice.

At least someone was willing to admit that, out loud. They left it at that, with Steve wandering down another hallway. Once she was left alone, Ada decided to return to the labs where Tony was likely causing trouble with Banner.

"You and Rogers seem to be getting along, fine." Ada rose an eyebrow at the accusation in Tony's voice when she reached the lab. She hadn't missed the fact that Banner himself was watching them curiously, "A little too fine, if you ask me."

"Are you seriously suggesting that we're seeing each other?" she retorted.

After the whole Emmett incident, she wasn't in any hurry to go back into the dating service. At least, not until she met someone who wasn't hiding behind a mask. Besides, she had bigger things to worry about at the moment than dating someone.

"Something's obviously ruffled his feathers," Tony rolled his eyes.

By now, Ada was struggling not to glare when she realized he didn't even seem to understand why Steve was so frustrated. As much as she hated to admit it, she understood what Steve meant about not liking Tony. He wasn't the easiest person to get along with, and, this only proved that.

"Look, even if I _was_ interested in him, which I'm not, there isn't any chance of that happening," she sighed, refusing to make eye contact as she caught the look Banner gave her.

 _Especially given how much he compares me to you_ , she added the last part silently, desperately wishing she could say it out loud. Something told her that wasn't as a good idea. There was already enough tension as it was between them; the last thing she wanted was to add to it.

Relief swept through her when he dropped the subject. Though, it was short-lived when Fury chose that moment to join them. She knew from the look written across his face that something serious had happened. Then again, with SHIELD involved, everything was serious.

"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" he demanded after noticing that neither Tony nor Banner were focused on the monitors.

"Uh… kind of been wondering the same thing about you," Tony retorted.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract," Fury reminded them, before turning to Ada, "And, _you're_ supposed to be taking it easy."

"Hate to break it to you, boss, but this _is_ me taking it easy," she brushed him off with a shrug.

She'd dealt with Fury's wrath before, and was no stranger to whatever punishments would follow. At this point, she was frustrated that he kept telling her she needed to take it easy. If the Council was so concerned about her well-being, they shouldn't have gotten her involved with the Avenger's Initiative, in the first place.

"We are, the model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now," Banner informed him, raising an eyebrow when he noticed how tense Ada was as she stood beside Fury. Even though he knew she worked for SHIELD, he could tell that the stress was beginning to get to her, "When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss," Tony reassured him with a smug look before turning to the monitors. Ada glanced at Tony warily, not missing the fact that his program had likely broken through the firewall SHIELD set up, "What is Phase 2?"

"Phase 2 is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons," Steve suddenly snapped as he joined them, slamming a weapon Ada was all-too-familiar with on the table. "Sorry, the computer was a little slow for me. And, you've been lying to me."

"How the hell is this my fault?" Ada snapped when he looked at her accusingly.

Though, she'd known about the weapons long before any of this had happened. She couldn't shake off the guilt that followed, knowing full-well that SHIELD shouldn't have designed those weapons in the first place.

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're—"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tony cut him off while zooming in on the images he'd found from SHIELD's files, "You were saying?"

"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit," Steve put in with a look that said it all.

"Did either of you know about this?" Banner asked when Natasha chose that moment to step into the room.

"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?" Natasha asked, ignoring his question.

"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed," Banner snapped with a shake of his head.

"Loki's been manipulating you."

It didn't take Ada long to realize what Natasha meant by that. She glanced in Banner's direction, not missing the glare that followed. Things were already going Loki's way. This argument was pointless, and it was only making things worse.

"And you've been doing what, exactly?" Banner retorted, nearly rolling his eyes, "At least one of you SHIELD agents treated me with respect, instead of expecting the worst outcome."

Ada only ducked her head sheepishly when he said that. She knew what it was like to be seen as someone different. She could relate to Banner's problem, in a way, and, she wondered if that was part of the reason they had sort of gotten along.

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," Natasha reminded him, remaining stoic as ever as she crossed her arms.

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy." Ada glanced at Fury when she caught the warning look he was giving Banner. She knew that he deserved a chance. After everything he had been through, a second chance was the least SHIELD could do for him. He turned to the screen where Tony was standing by, showing an image of a Phase 2 weapon, and pointed to it, "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him." Following Fury's pointing finger, she noticed with a start that Thor had arrived, as well.

 _As if the situation couldn't get anymore awkward_ , she thought. After seeing what Thor was capable of in New Mexico, it was hardly surprising that Fury had enlisted him to be part of the new team. What worried her though was that he wouldn't stick around once the Tesseract was found and returned to Asgard. He had his own agenda to worry about, especially if he was Odin's son and the prince of Asgard.

"Me?" Thor repeated, frowning in confusion when he realized who Fury was accusing.

"Three years ago, earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge mass that leveled a small town; innocent people were caught in the crossfire, and almost killed as a result," Ada finally spoke up, earning looks from everyone.

"We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, out gunned," Fury finished for her.

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor pointed out.

Ada frowned when she understood the point Thor was making. Yet, she couldn't help but think of all the other threats that were out there, like Fury had said. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that more than a few people considered her a threat because of her powers. The only reason Fury had been able to convince them otherwise was because of her work with SHIELD, and that Tony was her adopted father.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled," Fury snapped.

"Like you controlled the cube?" Steve demanded.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war," Thor explained.

A shiver of unease swept through Ada. She knew that his warning was always a possibility. Her own people had fled to Earth for whatever reason, only to fall at the hands of humans. She understood where Fury was getting at though, with the threat of war upon them. The Avenger's Initiative had been designed for such threats, and she wished that the others would see it that way.

"You forced our hand. We had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent, cause that always calms everything right down," Tony snapped, glaring at Fury.

By now, her head was beginning to spin as the argument spiraled out of control. Between the tension and the argument, Ada wasn't sure what was worse. All she wanted now was a moment of peace and quiet, so that she could think clearly. The problem was, everyone wanted things to go their way. They were hardly what she would call a team at that moment. Everyone was divided, and she had a feeling that this was what Loki wanted.

"I thought humans were more evolved than this."

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?"

 _Will they ever shut up_? she wondered, suddenly wishing a hole would open up and swallow her. The truth of it was, she had no idea how Fury expected them to work together when they could barely stand being around each other.

' _These humans are only wasting their time with these conflicts_ ,' Nadia's voice suddenly replied. Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat at the sound of her voice, ' _Perhaps they are in need of a wake-up call_.'

She almost laughed at that comment. They _were_ in serious need of a wake-up call. Though, something told her that a glowing necklace and hearing voices in her head wasn't the answer. She was only just beginning to understand the extent of her people's abilities, and that left her wondering how far Nadia's telepathic link could travel. If she could hear Nadia's voice, it made her wonder if other people would eventually begin hearing it, as well.

"Sorry," she finally muttered out loud when she noticed everyone was staring.

She knew it would take some getting used to, dealing with the glowing necklace. The good news was, everyone had stopped arguing. Even if it was for a brief moment, that was better than nothing. The headache from earlier had turned into a dull throbbing, though, Ada knew the peace wouldn't last for long; especially when she caught the look Steve was giving her.

"With all due respect, sir, I think she's the one we should be more concerned about," Steve suddenly had the audacity to point out.

Ada narrowed her eyes the minute he said that. Not for the first time, she wondered what other people saw in him. Considering how many times Tony used to mutter and complain about his own father praising Captain America, she could hardly blame him for being so annoyed with Steve's presence.

"You really are an asshole if you think that's the reason I should be locked up," she muttered under her breath, refusing to look at him after that.

"You touch her, and I'll—"

"Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds," Steve cut Tony's threat off with a glare.

"You people are so petty, and tiny," Thor's loud chuckle was enough to make Ada flinch.

She suddenly squeezed her eyes shut. She knew that if it wasn't for making sure that she had some control over her powers, this room would have been torn apart within seconds. As Tony and Steve went at each other's throats, Ada finally had enough and stepped between them. Flames appeared at the tips of her fingers as she glared at them both, ignoring the incredulous look Tony gave her.

"That's enough!" she shouted over their arguing, "For God's sake, you're acting like goddamn children! Start acting like adults, and maybe people will start treating you with some respect!"

For a moment, neither Tony nor Steve were sure what to say to that. Steve just blinked a few times when he realized with a start that she was right. Even Tony grudgingly admitted that she had a valid point. Though, neither of them were prepared for the moment when Banner reached for the scepter.

"Doctor Banner, put down the scepter," Steve ordered, his voice finally softer.

Banner just looked between the scepter he was holding, and the others, as if he couldn't quite believe he'd picked it up in the first place. Ada swallowed hard, suddenly aware that Banner could devastate them all if he wanted to. The Hulk may not have tried hurting her when they were in South America, but, there was no telling what he would do while in an enclosed space like the Hellicarrier.

Before he could say anything, a loud beeping noise drew their attention. Relief swept through Ada when Banner finally put down the scepter. That beeping meant the Tesseract was nearby. Yet, something wasn't right. Ada narrowed her eyes when she noticed that the energy levels were off the charts.

"Sorry, kids," Banner apologized in a mocking tone, "You don't get to see my party trick, after all."

"You located the Tesseract?" Thor asked hopefully.

"I can get there faster," Tony announced as he made a run for the exit.

"Look, all of us—"

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard," Thor cut Steve off before he could try and get everyone to work together. "No human is a match for it."

"You're not going alone!" Steve snapped after reaching Tony.

"You gonna stop me?" Tony asked in a taunting voice.

Ada let out a sigh of frustration when she realized where that conversation was headed, again, "You're all acting like a bunch of idiotic children," she muttered under her breath.

"Put on the suit, let's find out," Steve retorted, ignoring her comment while Tony shot her a scathing look.

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man," Tony snorted mockingly.

"Put on the suit."

It wasn't until hearing the monitors go off again, that Ada looked at them worriedly. Her heart sank even further when she noticed just how dangerously high the energy readings were. Even if they were able to find the Tesseract, at this point, there wasn't any way of containing that level of energy.

"Oh, my God," Banner exclaimed after he too noticed how high the readings were.

Before anyone could react, an explosion shook the entire ship. The windows surrounding them shattered, sending shards of glass across the room as Ada was sent flying into the room down below, while Banner and Natasha were thrown into another room. Pain burned within her arms and legs as pieces of shrapnel cut across, leaving nasty gashes in the process.

Ada's heart raced with dread when she realized too late what was happening. The Hellicarrier was under attack, and they were left completely unprepared for it. About the only thing she could hope for was that the rest of the team would get their act together, before it was too late.


	31. Chapter Thirty One

**Chapter Thirty One**

Her head was still spinning from everything that had happened. The panicked shouts of agents around her echoed across the metal walls. It didn't take long for Ada to register what had happened. Her grip on the glass-covered floor only intensified as she struggled to stand up. The pain from earlier was enough for her to double over, and she bit back a groan as she looked down at the fresh injuries that now marked her arms and legs.

She would have thought by now that working in the kind of environment SHIELD provided would get her used to the injuries that followed. Nothing could have prepared her for them, or the chaos that followed. The Hellicarrier was a mess after those explosions, and she realized with a start that it would only get worse with Loki on board.

This was exactly what the bastard wanted in the first place. He knew how divided the team was. Getting them to argue like a bunch of children had been the first step in keeping everyone distracted. Now he had an open window of opportunity to launch an attack.

"Ada, are you alright?" Tony's voice sounded through her earpiece, shaking her from her thoughts.

Ada let out a shaky breath before limping towards a nearby chair. She used it as support to help her stand up, wincing at the pain burning through her. She knew it was only temporary. At least, she hoped it was. If her suspicions were true, the injuries should have started healing themselves seconds ago.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied through gritted teeth.

She knew Tony would likely see through her lie. Or in this case, hear through it. She hated being left on the sidelines, and he knew it. Despite the pain, she was determined to help out in whatever way she could. Stubbornness and pride often got the better of her. That was the number one complaint Tony would always have on her. She understood why he was so annoyed with the way she pushed aside any attempts at putting her on the sidelines.

Eventually, Ada managed to ignore the throbbing pain, and limped on to figure out where everyone had scattered. She knew from the roar that had sounded minutes ago, that the Hulk was unleashed on the Hellicarrier. She remembered seeing Natasha being thrown into the same room as Banner, which left her worrying that the Hulk had accidentally hurt Natasha. The problem was, that was about as much as she knew about the most recent attack.

Agents were running to and from their stations. With the Hellicarrier on lock down and high alert, everyone needed to be prepared for anything. Ada had no doubt that if this was due to Loki being held as prisoner, it wouldn't be long before the Hellicarrier was boarded by enemies on the lookout for the scepter, and cause whatever chaos they could.

"Ada, don't go after us," Tony started in an accusing tone, as if he knew that she'd been hit, "We'll be fine."

"The hell you will," she snapped, "This attack just proves what I was saying earlier."

She ignored whatever he was about to say, switching her earpiece off. After hearing the wind in the background when he spoke, she already had an idea as to where he was. With that thought in mind, she headed for the direction of where she guessed he would be located. There were plenty of options of where Tony would have been, but if he was in the suit, and if the rotors had been taken down, he would need to be the one to repair them.

Ada narrowed her eyes when she spotted men who were dressed in uniforms that didn't belong with SHIELD making their way down the same direction. She hadn't missed the fact that they were heavily armed, carrying guns and what looked like hand grenades.

She knocked the first couple of men down with ease, then she started throwing a couple of fireballs at others. It took everything she had to ignore the pain from the shrapnel. Another intruder suddenly began firing their gun at her, and she flipped back to avoid getting hit by one of the bullets.

Her teeth ground together when she felt another burst of pain from that movement. Ada knew she was pushing herself to her limit. Tony was going to kill her, if the injuries didn't, when he found out what she was putting herself through. She had to though, as she kicked another intruder in the nose with her shoes.

The intruder let out a cry of pain when he was thrown back against the wall from the impact of her kick. Once he was on the floor, Ada had to hide a smirk of satisfaction. Seeing them doubled over in pain was oddly satisfying. Considering they were the assholes responsible for this attack, they deserved whatever punishment followed.

She made her way down to a tear in the wall from where the explosion must have hit the Hellicarrier. The rotors were located there, and she knew that Tony would need to jump start them if he wanted the Hellicarrier back in the air. The ship was already losing altitude as it was; they couldn't afford to crash into a city unexpectedly. Not with so many lives at stake.

Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise when she noticed that Steve was there, as well. He was struggling to take on the intruder she was fighting, earlier. Before the intruder could react, she suddenly threw a fist into the back of his head, knocking him out within seconds. Steve's eyes widened in surprise when he noticed her, after the intruder slumped in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

She simply rolled her eyes when she noticed he was still clinging onto the machine gun that had been firing for dear life. She held onto a nearby railing when the wind suddenly whipped past them, threatening to pull them both out.

"Saving your sorry ass, it would seem," she retorted, "You're welcome, by the way."

She flinched when Steve aimed the machine gun in her direction. Instead of firing it at her though, he fired it at another intruder behind them.

"Now, we're even," he said, voice strained as she pulled him back in.

"Stop chatting, and pull the lever," Tony snapped when her earpiece suddenly switched back on, "By the way, Ada, you're grounded."

She was ready to argue with him when she noticed the lever he'd mentioned. Ada looked up, eyes widening when she realized that he was trying to push the rotors back into motion. Glancing back, she noticed with a start that the panel was already opened.

There was a gap between them and the lever in question. One look down below told her that they were high up, and, one jump was all it would take for them to fall to their deaths. Swallowing hard, Ada leaped across without hesitation, wincing at the dull pain that now throbbed along her arms and legs. Tony was already being flung around as the rotors picked up speed. By the time she managed to pull down the lever, Tony finally landed on the floor next to Steve with a heavy thud.

"What the hell was that?" he choked out after letting his face plate slide open.

The Hellicarrier was starting to lean down towards the ocean. At least, Ada hoped that it was the ocean. She couldn't imagine a worse fate than hurting millions of innocent people, if the Hellicarrier fell out of the sky and crashed.

"One of the engines is down," she snapped, struggling to get a good grip on one of the rails when the Hellicarrier began lurching.

Steve suddenly grabbed her by the arm before she could slide down the opening. She glanced up, flinching once more when she noticed the concern written across his face. Even if they had been arguing for what felt like hours on end, he was still worried about her safety.

"Ada, you need a medic, now," Tony ordered after noticing her injuries for the first time. "Last thing I want is you bleeding out on me."

He eyed the fresh injuries along her arms and legs as if to prove a point. Ada only scoffed at that. She knew she was taking a risk by ignoring medical attention. All she cared about was making sure the Hellicarrier was stopped from crashing.

"Make sure you get the engines back up and running," she retorted. Tony merely rose an eyebrow at that, before giving her a hug. Despite the suit he was wearing, and her own injuries, she couldn't help but return the gesture, "Stay safe," she added in a whisper.

"You too, Ada," he whispered back, already aware that the medical bay was probably the last place she wanted to visit.

One look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. She gave a weak smile before standing up and making her way towards the brig. With all of the chaos from the attack, she knew Loki would use it as an opportunity to escape.

The way back to the brig felt as if took forever because of her injuries. She limped at an agonizingly slow pace, careful not to push herself any further than she already had. It wasn't until she was within a few feet of the brig that she noticed Thor, too, was on his way there.

"Lady Stark," Thor greeted her with a look of surprise and concern when he too noticed her injuries. "You should not be here, with those injuries."

"Are you suggesting that I'm incapable of fighting back?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes once more. Though she knew it wasn't fair to blame him for feeling concerned over her safety, it annoyed her that he and everyone else believed she was incapable of defending herself. "Loki's responsible for this attack, and he's going to use it as a chance to escape. You and I both know that."

Thor was ready to say something in his defense when he thought better of it. Instead, he led the way down to Loki's cell. Ada nearly skidded to a halt when she noticed the cell doors were open. Something told her that a prison cell like that wouldn't have been able to keep him locked up, in the first place. He had just been waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

Ada had already begun trailing after Thor, when she felt someone grab her by the wrist. She bit back a yelp, until recognizing Coulson as he crouched in a hiding place. One look written across his face was enough for her to clamp her mouth shut. She noticed with a start that he was holding one of the Phase 2 weapons that she and Jimmy had been working on, together.

The clone inside Loki's cell disappeared just as Thor ran through the doors, only to spin around and have them close on him. Loki smirked when Thor slammed his fists against the glass, only to feel the cell jolt from the impact. Ada winced as she remembered that cell had been designed for the Hulk. The hangar doors were already beginning to open, and, she could feel a rush of cold air seep through them.

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Loki sneered as he moved to the control panel and looked down at it. Coulson had slowly inched his way towards Loki, with Ada following close behind. She glanced at Thor warily, hoping he would understand that they had a plan. Or, Coulson had a plan. "The humans think us immortal. Shall we test that?"

His voice was dripping with amusement. Ada's fists clenched as she wondered where Loki was getting at, with that. She knew he had a grudge against Thor, for reasons she doubted she would understand. What bothered her more than anything, was that he was fine with hurting his own adopted brother without a second thought.

Coulson finally chose that moment to stand up, revealing the Destroyer weapon he had been holding. They'd been working on the development and design of that weapon for months. While it was still on the testing phase, something told her that Coulson was all-too-eager to use it on an Asgardian.

"Move away, please," he ordered, managing to maintain that sense of calm that Ada had always admired, "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent The Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out?"

He'd begun firing the weapon as if to prove his point. But, even Ada could see what Loki was planning. The smug look written across his face was all it took for her to move faster than Coulson could react. She pushed him out of the way, but not before realizing that Loki had moved behind her. In the split second that she pushed Coulson out of the way, Loki used the distraction to stab her in the stomach with his scepter. It took a few seconds for the pain to register.

"No!" Thor slammed his fists against the glass once more, eyes widening with horror.

Loki grabbed her just as she was about to collapse from the intense pain, and the shock. The wounds along her arms and legs were only just beginning to heal when he'd stabbed her, making the pain that much worse.

"You are truly a pathetic mortal, if you believe others will accept you," he sneered. The contentment in his voice was enough to send a shudder through her. Of course, he would have thought he'd won the battle. Something in the back of her mind told her that would never happen; not with SHIELD standing in his way. "You will be the first to die, with my brother!"

She didn't have the strength to spit anything in response, and he used her silence as a chance to throw her into the same cell as Thor.

Thor caught her before she could slam into the wall behind him, his expression full of guilt and concern. Loki only smirked once more as he reached the control panel once more. The triumph written across his face was enough for the knot in Ada's stomach to tighten. One press of the button was all it took for the cell to drop from the Hellicarrier, and for things to go to hell.

…

Coulson watched the cell drop from the Hellicarrier with horror. Reality was only just beginning to sink in as he began to understand what just happened. The girl he had watched grow from an infant to who she was now, had sacrificed herself to save him. He'd watched enough people in his lifetime die. Some of them had been best friends and even family. But, nothing could have prepared him for the pain of that moment.

"You're going to lose," he snapped after regaining his senses.

He had already taken a seriously blow to the hips when Loki managed to wedge between himself and Ada. The dull throbbing hadn't stopped him from reaching for the weapon, though. He was prepared to sacrifice his own life to keep everyone else safe.

"Am I?" Loki asked.

His voice was dripping with amusement as he looked at the agent leaning against the wall.

"It's in your nature," he retorted.

Loki's eyes narrowed as he walked closer.

"Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?" he demanded.

He had to admit, it was most amusing watching the mortals struggle in vein against him. The very mortal before him looked weaker than ever, and he was still willing to taunt him. He should have ended the miserable agent's life right then and there.

"You lack conviction."

"I don't think I—"

Coulson cut Loki off as he grabbed the weapon he was holding, earlier, and fired it. He watched on, tilting his head to one side as the force of the blast sent Loki flying. The demigod was thrown back into a few walls, disappearing seconds later.

"So, that's what it does," he sighed in relief when Loki disappeared.

…

Tony's fists clenched as he reeled from shock over the news of what had happened. He knew that Ada had always been stubborn. That was partly his fault for not always making sure she understood her limits. But, this was a whole new level of stubbornness. Pepper was going to freak when she found out what had happened. Worst still, was knowing that his baby girl could be dead, for all he knew.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them."

Fury tossed a set of Captain America trading cards across the glass table. They were stained with blood, reminding what was left of the team what had happened.

Steve only looked down at the cards as shame crawled through him. All he had ever done was rebuke Ada for being dangerous. He'd judged her based on who her father was. And, her adopted father, to boot. The guilt that gnawed at his stomach was enough of a reminder that she had sacrificed herself for Coulson's life. But in the end, Coulson had died anyways.

"We're dead in the air up here, anyways," Fury went on with a shake of his head. "Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor… Ada. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming."

Once again, Tony was left shivering with rage over the fact that Ada was likely gone. He hadn't been a good enough father. That alone left him wishing that he could have taken everything back, and to make things right. After everything that had happened, he wanted nothing more than to provide the life that she deserved. To prove what everyone thought of him as a father that they were wrong. Caring for Ada and watching her grow into the beautiful girl she was now only left his heart wrenching that much more.

"Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called The Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Ada Stark and Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes," Fury went on, glancing at Tony as he finally stood up and had enough. He left the room before Steve could interject, leaving them both there in awkward silence, "Well, it was an old fashioned idea," Fury muttered.

Tony didn't stop until he reached a room where he could try and clear his mind. He swallowed hard, hands gripping the metal railing as he tried pushing the thoughts raging in his head. She was gone. There was nothing he could do to change the clock and save her. Every thought in his mind was screaming at him to go after Loki, to kick the demigod's sorry ass and make him pay for his crime.

"I'm sorry."

His teeth ground together at the sound of Steve's voice. Carefully, the Super Soldier walked in until he was standing beside Tony, who refused to make eye contact. After seeing how much the man cared about her, it was clear that a direct approach wasn't the best option. Tony was already pissed off with the way Steve had acted around her. Not only did he treat her as if she was an outsider, but he judged her based off of the fact that they shared last names.

"You have no goddamn right to say anything!" he snapped. "How could I not see this happening?"

Steve looked at Tony warily. He knew what it was like to lose the people he cared about. He'd lost everything after crashing that Hydra plane. But, nothing could have prepared him for that moment when he saw another man break down over losing someone they cared about.

"You're right. I don't have a right to say anything," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "The way I treated her was wrong, and I can't take any of it back."

Tony finally glared at him, letting his shoulders drop, slightly, "People always used to assume that Pepper was the one running the show. But, the truth is, I loved her. Hell, I still love her. She may have been a stubborn ass, but she was good… she had a soul."

That, Steve couldn't argue with. While he didn't know her very well, she had been a good person. It made him wish he had taken the time to get to know her better. The guilt from earlier suddenly came rushing back as he thought of the way he treated her. It hadn't been fair to accuse her of being dangerous when he wasn't any better. The words just came out in an angry rush when Tony kept pushing himself to his limits.

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?" Steve asked warily, knowing he was in no position to ask such a question.

"We are not soldiers! I'm not marching to Fury's fife," Tony snapped.

His shoulders began to tense up again at the thought. Ada had willingly given up her life because of Fury's influence. He wasn't letting the same thing happen to him, or to anyone else he cared about. He'd already lost too many people he cared about because of his recklessness. Allowing the same thing to happen to Pepper or to anyone else was out of the question.

"Neither am I," Steve pointed out, earning a look from Tony, "He's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does, but right now we gotta put that behind us and get this done. Now, Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list—"

"He made it personal," Tony suddenly cut him off after his eyes widened with realization.

"That's not the point," Steve tried intervening.

"That _is_ the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?" Tony's brows furrowed, knowing that Loki had made it more than just personal after stabbing Ada and killing Coulson.

"To tear us apart."

"He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right?" Tony went on as he began formulating a plan, "That's what he wants. He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"Right," Steve nodded, for once, agreeing with him, "I caught that act in Stuttgart."

"Yeah. That's just previews, this is… this is opening night. And Loki, he's a full-tail diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered!" Tony's eyes widened as realization finally dawned on him. Steve rose an eyebrow when he too understood what Tony was suggesting, "Son of a bitch!"


	32. Chapter Thirty Two

**Chapter Thirty Two**

The world felt as if it was spinning around her. Blurry lights and loud sounds echoed in the back of her head. Her whole body throbbed with pain as Thor clung onto her for dear life while they tumbled down through the sky. Ada wondered with a start if this was what it felt like to die. The intense pain from her stab wound where Loki had plunged his scepter was enough to make her wish it would end, already. Anything was better than living with a fatal wound.

Her thoughts drifted back to how Loki had stabbed her, in the first place. She remembered watching as Coulson tried firing the Destroyer weapon. He'd planned on firing it at Loki while he was distracted. Yet, instinct had kicked in, and she had pushed him out of the way, just before Loki could hurt him. She couldn't let that happen to him. Coulson had been a good agent; someone who was willing to fight for what he believed in. She knew that he of all people deserved a second chance, just like he'd given everyone he recruited into the agency.

Ada swallowed hard, knowing that things could have turned out a lot worse. At least if she died, it was for a good cause. She winced when Thor's grip around her tightened. One apologetic look was all it took for her to realize too late what he was about to do. She couldn't even brace herself the moment she knew what Thor was going to do.

"Forgive me," he said before suddenly throwing himself into the glass window.

Each impact sent another shockwave of pain through her. She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from crying out. At that point, she would have taken death over this. They were already being thrown around like rag dolls, and it took everything she had not to scream in pain.

She knew that in reality, the fall had only lasted a few seconds. Thor finally twisted around and tried breaking the glass with Mjölnir. The sudden motion was enough for her to cry out in pain. One worried look from Thor was all it took for her to nod in encouragement. As much as she hated to admit it, they needed to get out of that prison before it crashed.

Finally, the glass shattered once more when he twisted around and slammed into the glass one last time. Ada flinched when the glass suddenly sliced past her arms. By the time he broke through, the pain from the glass was nothing compared to her stab wound. Thor landed so that he hit the ground first, breaking the fall to keep her injuries from getting any worse.

Neither of them were able to move for a while, after that. Ada collapsed on the ground beside Thor, struggling to breathe. Her heart was pounding in her chest from the adrenaline of the fall, and her wound. Her hand rested on her stomach as she tried to keep herself from blacking out. When she finally managed to look in Thor's direction, she was both surprised and annoyed to find he had sustained little injuries.

"Ada, you require medical attention, immediately," Thor said once he was able to regather his senses.

He held onto her as gently as he could, watching with pity as she struggled back to her feet. She winced at his jerky movements. As much as Ada tried to ignore the pain burning through her, she knew that it was pointless. Such an injury wouldn't likely recover from whatever medical treatment was offered. She was lucky that Loki hadn't stabbed her in the heart, but the stomach was equally as fragile. She was already losing precious blood, and she knew she wouldn't last much longer at the rate she was losing it.

"No, the team needs your help," she replied, her voice shaken and hoarse. Thor only offered a sympathetic smile when he realized what she was willing to give up. "Just leave me and kick Loki's sorry ass."

"I will not leave you, Ada. Not in this condition," Thor reminded her. She nearly rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. A small part of her was grateful, though. She hated to imagine what it would have been like to die, alone. After everything that had happened, having a friend by her side was better than nothing. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ada simply offered a small smile at Thor's question. It seemed like such an odd question to hear from someone who wasn't even from this world. Then again, there was still a lot she didn't know about Asgardians or even their culture. They had their own version of doctors, healers and other medical remedies that were probably twice as strong as that of humans. She almost wished that they would share that kind of knowledge with the people of Earth. There was so much they could learn from one another if their worlds weren't so closed off.

She was ready to say something when he shifted with unease, eyes widening in surprise. Ada narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was staring at when she noticed a faint golden light surrounding her wounds.

It only took a few seconds for her to register that her injuries had been healed. Ada blinked in disbelief, until remembering how her older injuries had healed without warning. The fact that she could heal her own injuries left her mind spinning with unease. There were too many questions revolving around her gifts, questions she knew would likely be left unanswered. She was still trying to figure out the extent of her abilities, and having the ability to heal only added to the laundry list of questions.

"Your wounds have healed themselves," Thor remarked as he eyed her in amazement.

She glanced at Thor warily, aware that he was just as stunned as she felt. She carefully stood up on shaky legs, still feeling sore from where Loki had stabbed her. The wounds may have been healed, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel the after-effect. The pain from her injuries remained, leaving a fresh reminder of what had happened. She tried to ignore the pain that bolted through her. After getting stabbed in the stomach by Loki's scepter, she was hardly surprised that she did feel the after-effect.

"I suppose I can," she finally murmured, wishing that she understood the full extent of her powers.

"Your powers are truly impressive," he told her with another charming smile, "It is a shame that you are not Asgardian. My people would welcome you with open arms."

Ada swallowed hard, doubting that they would ever allow someone like her in their midst. Especially if they knew anything about _her_ people. As far as she was aware, they would treat her like an outcast like some people from Earth did.

"We need to head to New York," she said once she cleared her thoughts.

She knew that if Loki was looking for a new power source to open a portal, he would go for the biggest source of power in the city. The Arch Reactor was the most sustainable energy within miles. It also meant that was where the others would be headed, if her hunch was right.

"Why New York?" Thor's question led to an explanation of her theory, and his eyes soon lit up with understanding. She frowned when she noticed the solemn look written across his face at the mention of Loki. "My brother, Loki, is responsible for all of the pain he has caused," he sighed.

 _He's blaming himself for what happened_ , she realized. She didn't know much of how Thor and Loki's relationship had changed so drastically. The only thing she did know was that Loki had been responsible for the destruction aboard the Hellicarrier. Between that and everything else, Ada knew that he would have to answer for his crimes, eventually.

"You know, none of what Loki did was your fault," she pointed out.

Thor simply looked at her in surprise.

"You speak as if I have nothing to do with this battle," he said. "I still love my brother even now, but what he has done is unforgivable. Fighting him will be difficult."

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip thoughtfully. She couldn't imagine what it would have felt like to battle her own sibling. She was suddenly thankful that she was an only child. Even if Pepper and Tony decided to take things to the next step, she would at least be old enough to live on her own, and away from the worries of sibling rivalry.

"Yeah, the fight's going to be difficult," she nodded in agreement. "But, it won't be impossible. Not with all of us working together, as a team."

Thor simply gave her a look that said it all, "Then, to the fight we shall go!" he suddenly declared.

She couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed when he raised Mjölnir into the air. His confidence was something she wished she had.

He wound his arm around her waist once more, careful not to hurt her as he prepared to take off with Mjölnir. Ada could still remember the way Jane had looked when Thor took off. All she could do was cling on for dear life and pray that Thor knew what he was doing.

Thor kept asking for directions to Manhattan, where the Tower itself was located. With his voice shouting above the roaring wind, Ada felt another headache beginning to form. She hated the feeling of the wind rushing past her, and she suddenly wished she had taken a quinjet, instead. At least they were somewhat safer, and her hair wouldn't look like a wild mess by the time Thor reached their destination.

Relief swept through her when he finally reached the Tower. Thor landed on the balcony just minutes upon arriving in the city, and Ada finally let go while struggling to stand on shaky legs. Her whole body was trembling from the efforts it took to cling on for dear life.

Ada looked over the balcony they landed on. She realized with a start that it was the same balcony that led up to her room. All of the designated rooms on the top floor had balconies that overlooked the city. Though, she wasn't all that thrilled to be back when she noticed that they weren't alone.

Just as she had suspected, Loki was also there, looking down at them in disbelief. Ada rolled her eyes when she noticed the face he made. His helmet really did make him look like an insect. She remembered Tony making the comment that he looked like a cockroach ready to be squished.

"Loki!" Thor shouted. "Turn off the Tesseract now or I will destroy it!"

 _Because that worked so well, before_ , Ada thought, frowning as she tried recalling whether Selvig's notes held any information on turning the Tesseract off. From what she had gathered, it was raw, unstable energy that couldn't be contained or controlled. Even SHIELD, with all the latest technology it had at its disposal, couldn't control the cube. Ada doubted Fury would try that trick again, if he was offered the chance.

"You can't! There is no stopping it!" he retorted. Ada stiffened when she felt his cold gaze boring through her, "And, you, mortal, are supposed to be dead. I watched you die when I stabbed you with my scepter!"

Her fists clenched with fury when she realized what Loki was implying. After the hell she went through to get at that point, she wasn't about to let the bastard get away with what he did. Thor glanced at Ada in surprise when he noticed too late what she was about to do.

A ball of fire formed in the palm of her hand, and Ada looked between the dancing flame to Loki. If he knew her intention, he gave no indication. The smug look never left until she suddenly flung the fireball directly at his face. She watched in grim amusement as he stumbled back in surprise from the force of the impact.

"That's for what you did, you bastard!" she shouted before firing another ball of fire. "And that's for everything else!"

"You should be grateful, mortal, that I did not deliver you a greater wound," Loki sneered as his face twisted in an ugly scowl.

Despite her attacks, he didn't even look as if he'd received a scratch.

Thor suddenly used Loki's distraction to launch an attack, flying from the balcony to where the other demigod stood. Once Loki was distracted, Ada used it as a chance to slip away before things could escalate to something worse. She needed to set up the security perimeter before Loki could get through the Tower's defenses.

"Jarvis, over-ride code 3178," she ordered once she started running down the hall.

She was heading for the penthouse, knowing that was the most likely place where Loki would show up if he decided to attack, again. Tony's latest invention was hidden in the living room; it happened to be a pet project he had been working on for the last couple of months now. She just hoped that Tony had left it there, otherwise they were in trouble.

"Your father has over-ridden the over-ride code," Jarvis replied.

Ada bit back a sigh of frustration when she realized what that meant. Of course, Tony had overridden the security code. She knew he was still annoyed with her for lying to him about joining SHIELD. He'd likely placed it there after she agreed to go with Coulson and Pepper.

"Jarvis, we have two angry demigods who are about to destroy the Tower because they can't seem to resolve whatever issues are bothering them," she snapped while typing in a series of codes after reaching the bar, "Tell me you have suggestions in stopping them?"

"You could always throw them off the roof with your powers," Jarvis offered.

She almost laughed at that, "J, I don't think now's the time to use my powers like that, as tempting as it sounds," she retorted.

Her response was met with silence. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she heard the sound of a body hitting the rooftop. She could only guess that was Thor trying to reprimand his brother for his attacks. Though, given the fact that Loki was clearly capable of fighting back, it could have been anyone's guess. The only thing she did know was that they were going to destroy the Tower if something wasn't done about it.

"Ada!" She looked up, eyes widening in surprise and relief when she saw Tony standing there. The Iron Man suit looked pretty beaten up, but he was otherwise okay. "You're alive!"

She wasn't given a chance to respond when he rushed over, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. Ada let out a choking cough at the sudden pain that followed; she knew that Tony meant well, but he was still in his Iron Man suit, and it hurt like hell when he hugged her in them.

"Dad, I can't breathe!" she gasped when he finally released her.

"Do you have any idea what sort of hell you put me through, back there?" he demanded once she caught her breath.

"Enough to guess that you aren't happy with me," she muttered after shaking off the stiffness in her shoulders and arms. "I had to do it… I couldn't let Coulson die."

Tony's face fell, and for a moment, Ada felt her heart sink lower than ever as she wondered what had happened while she was gone. Instead of explaining, he tossed her an earpiece. Ada wasted no time in putting it in, relieved to hear from the others.

"Glad to hear you're awake," Clint was the first to speak up through the earpiece, "From what I heard, you took one hell of a stab-wound."

"Is it weird for me to say that I'm relieved to hear your voice?" she asked, trying not to laugh as she imagined the face he was now making.

If she didn't know any better, she would have thought she heard Natasha laughing in the background. She knew Natasha must have had to hit his head pretty hard to make things right again. Even so, it really was a relief to hear a familiar voice through the com.

"Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Ada?" the archer retorted.

"Guys, would you please try and focus on what's in front of us?" Tony cut in before they could continue their banter. "By the way, you're staying here until this is over."

Ada just rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, "Yeah, not gonna happen," she snapped.

Instead of arguing, Tony just moved to put the device on his wrists that she had been looking for. It was technically supposed to be used to call the Iron Man suit from any place, kind of like Bluetooth. He'd likely used Thor's arguing with Loki as a distraction to reach the penthouse. Ada knew for a fact that Loki was likely watching their every move, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Once Tony had adjusted the new device on his wrists, Ada walked over to the balcony, glancing up as she spotted Thor and Loki still duking it out. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she noticed that more and more alien-like creatures were pouring through the portal that had opened in the sky.

Creatures that were clad in some thick armor that looked difficult to penetrate flew on what looked like strange, circular saucers. Ada's fists clenched as she noticed they were firing at any unsuspecting civilian caught in the crossfire. Those who hadn't noticed the portal were now running for whatever cover they could find.

Though, that wasn't the worst thing to come out of the portal. A huge, worm-like creature suddenly emerged from the portal, opening and closing a massive jaw as it moved about, slowly and ominously. Buildings that stood in its path were destroyed within seconds, glass and debris falling everywhere.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked, his question likely directed to Tony.

Ada looked up in time to see the quinjet hovering not far from the Tower. The quinjet had located the creature in question, though it was hard to miss. Ada realized with a start that all one would have to do was look up to see the giant brute.

"I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

Her brows furrowed in confusion at the mention of Banner. Since he wasn't with the rest of the team, she could only assume that he had been separated from the Hellicarrier during Loki's attack. She was surprised Natasha had convinced him to join them at all, given how uneasy he had been before all of this madness.

"Dad, why would we need to keep an eye out for Bruce?" she asked curiously.

"Just keep me posted," he replied before flying out of the tower.

"Look at this! Look around you!" Ada's attention was cut short by the sound of Thor's shouting. She glanced up in time to see that he and Loki were at the edge of the roof, with Thor holding Loki by the collar of his outfit, "You think this madness will end with you?"

"It's too late," Loki insisted, and for once, Ada thought she heard guilt and regret in his voice. Though, she was also fully aware that he had been known as the Trickster in Norse mythology. Some small part of her knew he was only trying to buy time, and trick Thor, "It's too late to stop it."

"No. We can, together," Thor insisted, his tone hopeful.

Pity swelled within Ada's heart when she realized Thor was buying it. Try as he might, he wasn't going to change Loki's mind on the battle. The demigod was too interested in war and bloodshed to have his mind swayed.

She grimaced when she saw Loki pull a knife from nowhere, stabbing Thor in the stomach when he dropped his guard. She grimaced at the sight, remembering all too quickly what had happened on the Hellicarrier. That was beginning to feel like years ago, when in reality, it was only a couple of hours ago.

"Sentiment!" Loki sneered before pushing Thor off the roof. Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when he suddenly jumped down, reaching the landing pad where she had been watching. Faster than she could react, he suddenly grabbed her by the collar of her suit, offering a cruel smirk in the process, "Let us see if you survive a fall from this height, shall we?"

She wasn't given a chance to respond as he suddenly threw her off the balcony. Wind rushed past her as she realized too late that a fall from this height was going to kill her. And, the only thing she could hear in the background was his laughter as he jumped onto a Chitauri ship, flying off to God only knew where.

* * *

 **AN: So, I only just realized after writing this how different it is from the original movie... hopefully that doesn't deter readers from the story. But, I figured adding a new character would change things around a bit, so, I can always use that excuse ^^ Either way, thanks to everyone who added this story to their favorites, and to those who followed it :) And, a big thank you to Mary Weasley Malfoy for reviewing!**

 **Mary Weasley Malfoy - Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much :)**


	33. Chapter Thirty Three

**Thirty Three**

Panic was the first thing she felt when she was falling from the Tower. A cold rush of wind blew past her face, whipping her hair in all directions. It was the first time she felt any real panic as cold realization began to sink in. She managed to survive getting stabbed in the stomach by Loki's scepter. She'd survived countless attacks with barely a scar to tell the tale. This was something entirely different, and it made her understand that she wasn't invulnerable to heights.

Chitauri were still flying everywhere, causing destruction and chaos wherever they went. The creature the team had dubbed the 'Leviathan' was crashing into buildings as it moved about. The buildings were too close together, and there wasn't much room for it to maneuver around. Though, Ada doubted the creature or the Chitauri cared much whether they caused destruction. They seemed more interested in destroying lives than caring about the landscape around them.

Her stomach churned with anger and anxiety as the ground suddenly drew closer. It wasn't until looking down that Ada realized the air around her was beginning to shift and change. The Chitauri seemed to sense the change as well. They gave her a wide birth, flying away on their ships while barking orders at one another.

She noticed too late that the ground was approaching faster than she thought possible. Ada knew that if she reached out with her hand, she could touch the ground from her height. She braced herself for the pain that would follow, squeezing her eyes shut for a brief moment. But, the pain never came. Confusion swept through Ada when she realized that her feet were touching the ground, and she had landed safely. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked around to see the rest of the team gathered around her.

 _What the hell was that_? she wondered, watching as the debris on the ground seemed to move about in a peculiar pattern. The wind had stopped almost as quickly as it started. Ada narrowed her eyes, having already guessed that _she_ had something to do with the wind moving around. _Another elemental power? Just how many do I have_?

Her mind was beginning to spin at the thought. She was already overwhelmed as it was, and realized that too much power brought nothing but danger to those around her. The last thing she wanted was to hurt anyone she was close to. Especially with the war looming around them.

She watched as Tony led the Leviathan around the corner and towards the team. It didn't take Ada long to figure out what Tony was planning. If he managed to get it distracted, the rest of the team could work together to take the beast down.

"You think you can hold them off?" Steve asked.

His eyes narrowed in surprise when he spotted Ada approaching. She rose an eyebrow at the look he was giving her. It was clear that he hadn't been expecting to see her return after Tony found her. If he thought she was going to stay behind while everyone else fought in the battle, he was dead wrong.

"Captain," Clint started as he pulled out his bow from his quiver, "It would be my genuine pleasure."

One of the Chitauri that was flying uncomfortably close to the group suddenly felt the force of an arrow being fired into their chest. Or, at least Ada assumed that was their chest. She wasn't entirely sure, given the circumstances. Natasha gave Steve a reassuring nod, telling him they had this handled.

"Glad to see you're back in one piece," Ada remarked after kicking one of the Chitauri on foot in the face. Another was running towards her, holding a gun in hand until she threw a chunk of rock at it, "Nat hit you in the head?"

She couldn't hide the cheeky grin that followed as the archer just glared at her. Despite the banter they often got themselves into, she did care about him, and, vise-versa. She had been worried when Loki took control of him, and was more than grateful he broke whatever spell Loki had over him.

"You could say that," he muttered as they ran over to a bus that had skidded to a halt during the attack.

The mother of a girl she helped rescue continued thanking her relentlessly until she ordered them to take shelter. Once they were gone, Ada started firing at the Chitauri that began surrounding them. Ada glanced at Natasha and Clint, watching in amazement as they took the Chitauri down like they were nothing. She was reminded once again that they had been working together longer than she had been training with them. They knew each other's moves like the back of their heads, and took that to their advantage.

"Just like Budapest all over again!" Natasha called over her shoulder while Clint stood atop of a car, firing arrows at any Chitauri in the air.

"You and I remember Budapest very differently," Clint shouted back, spinning around to fire at another Chitauri.

"What the hell happened in Budapest?" Ada asked when she barely dodged a weapon fired in her direction. Then, she cringed as she already guessed what they had done in Budapest, "On second thought, I don't think I want to know."

"It was never like that!" Clint protested, though, the look on Natasha's face suggested otherwise.

Another Chitauri had hopped off of their ship and ran towards Ada, using her momentary distraction to their advantage. She bit back a gasp of surprise when it wrapped its arm around her neck in a choke-hold. She managed to wrench her arm out of its grasp, and jammed it hard in the rib cage until it released her.

Ada's shoulders sagged in relief when Thor and Steve regrouped to meet with them. Both looked exhausted, but, Thor looked the worst off. Ada couldn't help but look at him sympathetically when she realized that he had been fighting his brother, and that had to be an exhausting weight on his shoulders.

"The powers surrounding the cube is impenetrable," Thor explained when Steve asked what was happening at the Tower.

"Thor is right, we gotta deal with these guys," Tony put in.

Ada swallowed hard as she noticed he was flying closer, leading a group of Chitauri towards them. After everything that had happened, she knew that fighting off the Chitauri and keeping the city relatively safe was the most important task at hand. They needed to take care of the Chitauri as quickly and as efficiently as possible, even if that meant adding to the damage caused by the fight.

"How do we do this?" Natasha asked.

"As a team," Steve said after giving it some thought.

"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor stated grudgingly.

 _Yeah, well get in line_ , Ada thought, narrowing her eyes as she recalled the hell Loki had put her through. She knew he would likely atone for his crimes in Asgard. But, a little Earthly justice might actually prove helpful. Her fists clenched at the thought.

"Yeah, get in line," Clint muttered, voicing her thoughts.

"Save it. Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us—"

Steve was cut off by the sound of an engine running. Ada's eyes widened in disbelief when she realized Banner was approaching them on a small motorcycle. Before anyone could react, Ada rushed over and gave him a much needed hug. To her surprise, and relief, he returned the gesture with one of his own.

"Thank you," he whispered when she gave him a slight nod of encouragement. He paused as she let go and stepped back, ignoring the looks of surprise everyone else gave her, "So… this all seems horrible."

"I've seen worse," Natasha reminded him.

Ada almost winced at that. Though, her tone wasn't accusing like she expected. Natasha had seen first-hand what the Hulk was capable of, and it surprised her that she felt no remorse towards him for what he'd done.

"Sorry," he quickly apologized, flushing in embarrassment.

"No… we could use worse," Ada reassured him, offering a faint smile.

Steve looked at the pair thoughtfully when he realized that they seemed to understand each other better than he first thought. Ada knew what it was like to be seen as something different. Her powers terrified her. Yet, she also knew that they were what defined her. It was pointless to try and keep that part of her life buried in secret.

"Stark, we got him; Banner, just like you said," Steve said through the com.

"Tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you."

Before Steve or anyone else could say anything to that, Ada spotted something large flying around the corner. Tony had started flying towards them, with the Leviathan hot on his trail. Her eyes narrowed as it crashed into a few buildings, causing them to collapse in on themselves or the roofs crash onto the ground below.

"I-I don't see how that's a party," Natasha stuttered for a moment, eyeing the creature in disbelief.

Ada couldn't agree more with Natasha's statement. Pieces of cement and stones began flying around Ada in a defensive position as she realized that this could end miserably. She wasn't planning on taking the creature out on her own; even with her powers, she had her limits.

"Doctor Banner, now would be a good time for you to get angry," Steve told Banner once he regained his composure.

Banner gave a faint nod before walking towards the Leviathan with renewed confidence. She couldn't hide the smile that followed when Ada noticed how much he had changed in just that little time. Despite being afraid of the Hulk and what he would do to the city, he knew what needed to be done to stop the other creature.

"That's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry."

In seconds he had transformed into the Hulk, smashing the Leviathan into pieces. Tony flew in just as the debris began falling around them, threatening to crush anyone in its path. He cut it in half just as it crashed into the buildings surrounding it.

That had only enraged Loki; Ada watched with narrowed eyes when more Chitauri began pouring through the portal after roaring in outrage. The good news was, the streets were mostly cleared of passing civilians. She could only assume they were hiding in buildings or had fled the city before the battle could get any worse.

"Guys," Natasha warned the others before they could feel an ounce of triumph, having followed Ada's gaze.

"Call it, Captain," Tony said after landing beside Ada.

She knew how difficult it was for him to pass on the leadership reigns to someone else. Hearing him ask Captain America of all people for leadership and advice told her that this was beyond anything he had ever been prepared for.

"Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or your turn it to ash," he ordered.

"Wanna give me a lift?" Clint asked, looking at Tony uneasily.

"Right. Better clench up, Legalos," Tony replied cheekily.

The look that followed was priceless, and Ada had to hold back a fit of laughter when Clint glared at her.

"Now I know where you get it from," he hissed under his breath just as Tony grabbed him and took off.

"In my defense, most of that was self-taught!" she called after him. She didn't miss the looks Steve, Thor and Natasha were giving her. Considering the situation they were in, a little humor actually felt good. "What? It's mostly true."

"Thor, you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow them down. You've got the lightning, light the bastards up," Steve added to the big guy after rolling his eyes at her joke. Thor simply nodded and took off towards the Empire State Building. Finally, Steve looked between Ada and Natasha as the Hulk stood behind them, "You two stay with me here on the ground, keep the fight here and away from the buildings. And, Hulk; smash."

The Hulk only grinned at those orders before jumping from building to building, smashing several Chitauri in the process. Ada used the momentary distraction to knock out a few more Chitauri who had gotten a little too close for comfort. Any Chitauri that were left standing soon learned the hard way that she wasn't an easy target.

"Glad to see you finally see me as a teammate," she started.

She swept another Chitauri off its feet before knocking it out with a piece of cement. Steve looked at her uneasily when he noticed she was putting up a good fight. He hadn't seen her fight before; the only other time he saw her in action was when they were in Stuttgart, and she had been holding back at the time.

"I figured that you're better off following your own orders," he admitted, suddenly feeling sheepish for saying that at all.

He flinched when a piece of cement suddenly hit a Chitauri in the face that had been approaching from behind. Even he didn't have reflexes like that, and he held his shield up instinctively when she glared at him.

"Fury assigned me to this team for a reason!" she snapped, "And whether you like to admit it or not, I'd at least like to play a part in it!"

Steve's brows furrowed in confusion when he realized what she was implying. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to say. While he knew she was fully capable of taking care of herself, there was a small part of him that saw her as nothing more than a defenseless civilian who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Would you two stop acting like a married couple and get over it?" Natasha snapped, cutting through the awkward silence that followed. She'd already knocked over and killed a few Chitauri that had tried overwhelming her. "Captain, none of this is gonna mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal," she added warily.

"Our biggest guns couldn't touch it," Steve pointed out, relieved to drop the subject as his cheeks turned a faint shade of pink.

Ada rubbed the back of her neck in sheer embarrassment as she wondered if they really _had_ been acting like a married couple.

"Maybe it's not about guns," Ada suggested after thinking over what Steve had said. "The tip of Loki's scepter glows like the Tesseract, and if I'm right about that…"

"It could close the portal," Natasha concluded as realization dawned on her.

One glance at Steve was all it took for him to understand what both were talking about. Despite his earlier confusion, he realized that the Tesseract and Loki's scepter were connected, somehow.

"You wanna get up there, you're gonna need a ride," he warned them.

"I've gotta ride."

Ada crouched down as she said that, and before either of them could protest, a chunk of pavement suddenly lifted from where she had been standing. By the time she was up in the air, Natasha had already stabbed a Chitauri flying one of the ships in the shoulders and managed to maintain control over them and the ship.

It took everything Ada had to concentrate and control the piece of pavement underneath her. She wasn't used to controlling the pavement like this, and it wobbled every now and then as she approached the Tower. She glanced over her shoulder, flinching as a couple of Chitauri had begun flying near and fired at her. Luckily, Clint had seen them as well and stopped them before they could cause more damage. She nodded her thanks to him before reaching the Tower, itself.

She wasn't surprised to see how badly damaged it was. Two letters had been taken off of the word Stark, leaving it as STA instead. Part of the living room had been destroyed with broken glass and windows. And the lower floors were shattered by the Chitauri landing on the building.

Without warning, she rolled into the living room as the Chitauri remaining reached her. When she managed to land without avoiding the shattered glass, a chunk of the pavement she had controlled earlier flew into their faces, knocking them over the balcony in the process. She shook her head in relief at the sight, before heading for the stairs that would lead to the rooftop.

"Guys, I can close it! Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down!" Natasha exclaimed.

 _Thank God_ , Ada thought, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment when she realized her theory had been right.

"Do it!" Steve snapped.

"No, wait!" Tony suddenly cut in.

"Stark, these things are still coming!"

"I got a nuke coming in, it's gonna blow in less than a minute," Tony explained, and Ada felt a lump form in her throat when she realized what that meant. SHIELD had likely sent the missile, and if they had, that meant they'd given up on the team, "And I know just where to put it."

"Stark, you know that's a one way trip," Steve warned him as the lump in Ada's throat tightened.

"Dad, you can't do that; there has to be another way," she whispered, knowing he would hear her plea loud and clear.

"There is no other way, Ada," Tony pointed out, his own voice wavering for a moment, "I love you, and I'm proud of you."

A knot formed in the pit of her stomach as she reached the landing pad, eyes widening in horror when she spotted the Iron Man suit catching the missile that was aimed for the city. Time suddenly felt as if it slowed down as she watched him fly into the wormhole that was created from the portal.

She swallowed hard as she realized that he wasn't coming back. Even though they couldn't see what was happening on the other side, she knew that the missile would have blown up the moment it reached the other side of the portal. All of the Chitauri had begun dropping the moment the missile exploded, along with the Leviathan creatures.

Just as they started to fall, she heard the loud thud of a body hitting the landing pad behind her. Hatred for Loki and everything he'd done suddenly swept through Ada. She glared daggers at the demigod as he struggled back to his feet, wincing from the impact of being thrown by the Hulk.

"You sorry excuse for an asshole," she snapped, throwing a fireball at him. Loki wasn't given a chance to defend himself as she continued her relentless attacks until exhausting herself. By the time she did, she was gasping for air while glaring at him. "You're nothing more than a monster."

"What does that make you, then?" he sneered after recovering from her attacks. Her hatred for Loki only deepened when she noticed he didn't even look as if he'd been burned, "You are no better than myself, you mewling child."

His voice was dripping with sarcasm, and a malice that sent shivers of unease through Ada. The anger she felt moments ago subsided, as dread quickly swept through her. Ada blinked a few times in disbelief when she realized that he was right about one thing: They weren't entirely different, and, that terrified her. His smirk turned into a triumphant grin, and he was ready to say something else when the familiar roar of the Hulk cut him off.

"Enough! You are all of you beneath me! I am God, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by—"

He wasn't given the chance to finish his rant when the Hulk suddenly grabbed hold of him, throwing him around the room like a ragdoll. Ada watched, feeling an odd spark of satisfaction when the floor was broken by the force of each hit. Finally, the Hulk had enough with him and smashed him into the floor.

"Puny god," the Hulk grunted before turning to look at her.

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed when she caught the look of recognition in his green eyes. Hearing Loki's groan of pain was enough of a reminder that the asshole deserved getting the snot beaten out of him. A small part her was tempted to heal his injuries, but, she wasn't planning on giving in.

"Bruce, do you think you can give me a lift back down and see if dad is okay?" she asked carefully, knowing that even though the Hulk was in control, Banner would still hear her.

The Hulk gave a stiff nod, and growled uneasily when she carefully climbed onto his back. She realized with a start how different it was, and how much of a risk she was taking in trusting the Hulk. Yet, she had trusted him this far, and it never once backfired on her.

Once the Hulk had reached the landing pad, Ada realized with a start that the worst of the battle was over. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she noticed a red and gold blur flying from where the portal had been just seconds ago. The Hulk must have seen it, too, because he leaped from the balcony and reached out for the Iron Man suit, with Ada clinging on for dear life as he used the buildings to slow down his fall.

"Lady Stark, are you unharmed?" Thor asked when the Hulk finally landed while placing the Iron Man suit down, and she slid down from his back.

"I'm feeling a little motion sickness, but, otherwise, I'm okay," she replied, grimacing as she remembered what Loki had said. Her relief was short lived when Thor pried off the mask covering Tony's face. "Dad…"

Her voice dropped to a whisper as she knelt down, ignoring the others around her as she held his face carefully. He'd suffered a few blows, and was bleeding from a couple wounds. But, that didn't mean he'd survived his time in space. The Hulk suddenly yelled in fury, causing the others to jump while Tony's eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell?" he asked while trying to catch his breath, "What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?"

"Steve was tempted to," Ada replied jokingly.

Her shoulders sagged in relief when she realized he was okay. Tony's face twisted in disgust while Steve's face flushed a whole new shade of red, earning a laugh from both Ada and Clint.

"We won," Steve said after recovering from her joke.

"Alright. Hey. Alright. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day," Tony started, sounding both exhausted and disoriented from his fall, "Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it."

"Seriously? We just beat a demigod and an entire army of aliens, and you want shawarma?" Ada asked in disbelief.

"We're not finished, yet," Thor reminded them pointedly.

"Fine. Then, shawarma later," Tony decided.


	34. Chapter Thirty Four

**Chapter Thirty Four**

It was funny how an entire war between two worlds could bring a team together. Ada knew that things wouldn't have taken that turn if it wasn't for the sacrifices made before the battle. Her thoughts drifted back to when Tony had informed her that Coulson was dead. He had been killed by Loki, despite her efforts at preventing him from taking the blow. Her heart twisted with grief at the thought.

Coulson had been a good person. Someone who believed in heroes, second chances, and in second lives. She knew that she wouldn't have gotten as far as she did without his support. Knowing that he was gone left her feeling guiltier than ever. She wished that she could have gotten to know him better. Maybe than things would have changed. Anything was better than knowing that she was still responsible for what had happened to him.

The solemn silence that hung in the air was almost overwhelming. Everyone seemed wrapped in their own thoughts as they sat in a shawarma joint; one of the few buildings that hadn't been destroyed during the battle. Ada sat between Steve and Natasha, wishing a hole would open up and swallow her. She knew that she shouldn't blame herself for what happened. But, that didn't stop the guilt from nearly overwhelming her.

"You know it wasn't your fault," Banner said pointedly when he noticed how quiet she was.

Tony had tried enlightening everyone's moods with conversation, but even he was incapable of lifting her spirits. She didn't have much of a reason to feel happy. Though they managed to win the battle and put an end to Loki's war, that didn't mean there was anything worth celebrating.

"It still could have been avoided, entirely," she muttered, staring down at the table shamefully.

It wasn't until feeling a hand squeeze her shoulder that Ada looked up to see Steve watching her warily. Despite their arguments and the fact that they made each other's lives miserable aboard the Hellicarrier, Ada realized that she hadn't helped matters. If anything, she had only added to the stress on his shoulders and that of everyone she was close to. She suddenly felt as if there was something that could have been done to prevent the outcomes that followed.

"Some things just can't be avoided, no matter how hard we try and prevent it from happening," he reminded her.

For once, Ada didn't know what to say as their eyes met. She noticed with a start that he understood what she was going through. She couldn't hide the guilty smile that followed. Not for the first time, she wondered how Fury thought putting the two of them together in the same room would do anyone any good. The tension between them had finally simmered down. But she still wasn't sure what to make of him, and the feelings were entirely mutual. At least they could respect one another now that they had seen each other in action.

"By the way, when did you learn how to control the air around you?" Tony suddenly cut in, clearly miffed that they were having a civil conversation.

Ada nearly rolled her eyes at her father's accusing tone before lifting her hand and opening it. As if to prove her point, a tiny whirlwind of air appeared in the palm of her hand before dissipating. She frowned at the sight.

"I guess I've always been able to," she replied with a shrug, "The need to use it just didn't come until today."

She wasn't willing to admit out loud that having these powers terrified her. For the first time since discovering them, she was beginning to wonder why she had been born with such powers, in the first place. From what she had gathered in her dreams, the Aliquid were normally only born with one power.

"You do come from a long line of people who aren't even from this world," Natasha pointed out with a knowing look. Ada glanced at the redhead in surprise as she went on, "SHIELD's been trying to find whatever research it can on the Aliquid. You're the only one they've managed to get a hold of, alive."

That was enough for a shiver of unease to sweep through Ada. She remembered watching countless people die in her dreams. Then, she remembered Nathan and Emmett. Both had worked for an organization calling themselves the 'Black Knights'. Her stomach twisted with worry at the thought. If they did try and hunt her down like the rest of her people, she knew they wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean 'alive'?" Tony asked warily.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip. She'd only told him bits and pieces of her dreams. Even then, she kept out most of the details.

"There's an organization known as the Black Knights," she explained after taking a deep breath. Tony's eyes widened in disbelief as she shifted uneasily in her seat, "They've been hunting down the Aliquid since they were discovered."

Tony's mouth drew in a thin line when he realized what she meant by that. He recalled her mentioning that she'd seen people die in her dreams. For a while, he used to think it was nothing more than a nightmare. Now, he was beginning to realize they were so much more than that.

"So, that means those assholes could easily go after _you_ then?" he guessed, and she simply nodded in response.

The billionaire just stared at her for what felt like hours. She knew this wasn't the kind of news anyone wanted to hear. The nightmares she'd suffered from for years had felt too real for them not to be memories. How she was able to have such nightmares, she wasn't sure. She guessed that they came through Nadia's memories, through the necklace that she was connected to. What bothered her more than anything was the fact that these people had gone after her own at all.

"That's why SHIELD was so desperate to get their hands on you," Natasha admitted. "Once they were able to figure out what you were, they knew that you would be a sitting target."

Once again, Ada nodded in understanding. SHIELD may have had its own agenda when it came to taking an interest in her, but she understood that this was Fury's way of keeping her safe. She likely managed to stay undetected for so long because her powers hadn't developed until Tony adopted her. That in itself had always left her wondering why they never developed before. There were still endless questions that she had regarding her people's history and her powers.

"Man of Iron, your daughter is truly special, indeed," Thor finally declared after reaching his own conclusion.

 _I don't feel special_ , Ada thought, glancing at the Asgardian in surprise. She had to admit, she enjoyed Thor's innocence of the world and how he always seemed to think he was saying the right thing. She wouldn't hold that against him, especially since he was only just beginning to learn how the people of Earth lived.

"Yeah, she really is," Tony nodded in agreement.

Heat rose to her cheeks when Ada caught him watching her closely, as if he was expecting one of the Black Knights to come crashing through any moment. About the only thing she could do at that point was focus on anything but the conversation. She had enough things on her mind at the moment to make it any worse.

…

"Romanoff told the team," Fury told Coulson as he approached the Director.

Said agent had made a full recovery from his injuries on the Hellicarrier. It had taken a few hours for him to wake up after the surgery, but, when he did, he saw the full extent of what damage this battle had caused. Damage Control was going to have their hands full for the next few hours.

"So, they all know the truth, now," Coulson sighed after contemplating what that would mean. He turned to face Fury, not missing how exhausted the other man looked. After dealing with the Council for hours, it was a wonder he had any energy left. Yet, that hadn't stopped the worry from clouding his thoughts when he knew what she was capable of. "We both agreed that it was too risky to tell her the truth until she was ready," he added in an accusing tone.

"She has a right to know the truth, and so do the others, especially when her life is at stake," Fury reminded him with a pointed look. Coulson was ready to argue when he thought better of it. Even if he had survived Loki's attack, he was in no condition or position to argue with Fury. "I know you care about her, but, she has an entire team looking out for her, now."

Coulson drew in a sharp breath. On any normal circumstances, he wouldn't have dreamed of arguing with SHIELD. But, he was tired of dealing with the lies and deceit that seemed to spread from the bottom up. It was bad enough he couldn't tell the team that he was alive, and worse still that Ada blamed herself for what had happened. The only thing he could do was keep an eye on them from a distance, and hope they came to terms with the mistakes they'd made.

…

The crisp morning air of fall surrounded the city. It was a beautiful day, fitting for the fact that Thor was leaving with Loki to face the verdict. When Thor had declared that Loki would face justice on Asgard, the Council had been furious. Ada heard from Natasha that it had taken Fury hours to convince the Council that this was a matter simply out of their hands. Arguing with an Asgardian, one who wielded a magical hammer that shot lighting out of it, was out of the question.

Once it was decided that Thor would take Loki home to Asgard so that he would face justice, the team agreed to meet at Central Park where they could part ways. Hopefully they wouldn't run into the press during their departure. Ada had a feeling that the press would have had a field day trying to get information on the team, and on Loki and Thor before they left.

It was a bittersweet moment. Ada realized with a start that the team had finally become a team after the battle of Manhattan. Now that they finally became a team, they were all going their separate ways. Ada couldn't blame them for wanting to part ways, especially since they all had their own jobs and lives. Yet, it felt wrong leaving everyone.

She shook her head at the thought, recalling what Natasha had told her during their shawarma gig. The fact that her people were known as the Aliquid left her asking further questions. Such as where they came from, and why they left their planet in the first place. She knew the answers were never going to be handed to her with ease, even if she asked Nadia for advice.

 _It would be easier if I knew what I was looking for_ , she added silently.

"You're up early." Ada glanced at Steve in surprise when he approached her. She chewed the bottom of her lip, suddenly aware that the tension between them had never really gone away. While he never treated her differently because of what Natasha and Clint had said, she still felt uneasy around him. "Early riser?"

"I've always had trouble sleeping in," she replied with a shrug, "Something my father seems incapable of doing, most of the time."

If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn Steve was trying to hide the smirk that followed.

"Have to admit, there's nothing like getting up in the morning for a run," he remarked after she gestured for him to join her on the park bench.

Since they were meeting later in the morning, she'd decided to leave what was left of Stark Tower and go for a morning jog. It gave her enough time to mull over the endless possibilities that Natasha had offered the other day. She wasn't quite sure what to make of that recent revelation. Her mother never once mentioned what they were because she hadn't been ready. At the time, she hadn't understood why Nadia was so reluctant to share that information. Now, she knew why.

"It's the best time to relax and enjoy the city before everyone else wakes up," she replied with a nod of agreement.

Not to mention, she didn't need to deal with the paparazzi. Though, anyone with a brain avoided the city after the destruction left by the Chitauri. Most of the city had been evacuated during the attack. When the team first arrived, they made it a point to make sure the city was cleared out to avoid most if not any casualties.

"That's not why you're out, though, is it?" His question caught her off guard, and Ada couldn't hide the frown that followed as she looked away.

"I've been wondering about what Natasha told me," she murmured. "Where I really come from, and why my people left the planet."

Steve gave a slight nod of his own after realizing just how much she had been thinking over what was said. There was a lot to consider, when she thought about it. Between not being human and finding out that a bunch of murderers were after her, she was feeling overwhelmed.

"That is a lot to think about," he agreed fullheartedly.

There was a moment's pause as awkward silence soon followed. Ada glanced at Steve self-consciously as she wondered what he thought of all of this. Knowing that so much had changed since he woke up from the ice must have been overwhelming for him.

"When you woke up from the ice, did you ever wish you could change back time?" she suddenly asked.

"More often than you realize," he chuckled in response. "Look, we can't change who we are, as much as we'd want to. Just because they say you aren't human doesn't mean you aren't you."

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed. She wasn't expecting that kind of response, especially from the same person who had compared her to Tony.

"Thank you," she murmured, suddenly feeling self-conscious once more. "Would you be opposed to going on a small trip?"

"Where to?" Steve rose an eyebrow in surprise.

"Xavier's School for the Gifted," she replied with a shrug, "It's in upper-state New York, and a bit of a drive, but, I feel like Professor Xavier might have some more information on the Aliquid."

For a moment, Steve was taken aback by her explanation. She knew the odds of getting answers were slim. But, it was better than nothing. Xavier was not only the founder of his school, but, the leading authority to mutants. As far as she was concerned, mutants had powers that were similar to the Aliquid.

"Your father isn't going to be happy with that idea," he pointed out knowingly.

 _Of course, he wouldn't be happy_ , she thought with a slight smirk. Anything to get under Tony's skin made it worth the risk.

"Believe me when I say, he has no say over what I should or shouldn't do," she retorted after crossing her arms defiantly, "Father or not, he can't control my actions."

Steve only laughed at that, suddenly aware that she was more defiant than he first thought. There wasn't anything wrong with that, but, it did come with risks. While Tony would more than likely freak after finding out they were spending time together, it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

He was ready to say something when the others finally arrived. Ada narrowed her eyes when she spotted the scathing look Tony was giving them. Seeing them together only added the reminder that he wasn't happy seeing her with any guy.

"Why is it you're doing everything in your power to give me gray hair?" he muttered after she stood up and reached him, surprised to see Banner with him.

After the battle and their time at the shawarma joint, Tony had offered Banner a place to stay until he had things settled. Still, he looked uneasy being out in the public, and was doing his best to hide himself.

"Relax, dad," she rolled her eyes, "I just needed some air, and we met each other at the park."

"That's a convenient excuse," he snorted under his breath.

Ada was ready to spit something in response when Natasha and Clint chose that moment to arrive, along with Thor and a cuff-bound Loki. Her eyes narrowed once more after spotting Loki. Cuff-bound or not, after everything he did, he deserved whatever punishment Odin decided upon him.

"My friends, I am grateful to have fought alongside such noble warriors," Thor started after everyone gathered in a semi-circle.

The Tesseract itself had been placed in a containment unit built by Tony and Banner. Despite SHIELD's best efforts at keeping the Tesseract, Thor made a stand against them and declared that it belonged on Asgard, where it would stay out of the hands of others. To which Ada fully agreed after seeing the damage it had caused.

"Take care of yourself, Thor," Ada said, offering a charming smile as the Asgardian looked at her with one of his own, "For all that it's worth, I'm glad that you came back and helped us."

"Just make sure that the Tesseract stays as far from Earth as possible," Steve added.

Thor nodded in agreement to that, knowing full-well the Tesseract rightfully belonged on Asgard, "This is where I say farewell. I hope the next time we meet, there are no threats to worry over."

 _That makes two of us_ , Ada silently agreed with him, sincerely hoping that he was right.

She watched as he and Loki worked together in starting up the Tesseract, which acted as a portal to lead them to Asgard. The same detail left behind that Jane had been studying in New Mexico was left on the pavement where they once stood after a brilliant flash of light nearly blinded everyone. Ada was thankful she brought sunglasses with her at that moment.

Once they were gone, Ada was left wondering what the others would do next. Clint had already talked about taking a short vacation after suffering from what he felt was a hangover from the mind control. Since Natasha was able to free him from Loki's control, Ada could only imagine what he was going through, now. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic, knowing that whatever it was like to go through something like that wasn't easy for anyone.

"Seems like we're all going our separate ways," Tony remarked once Natasha had wordlessly walked alongside Clint after giving both Ada and Steve a stiff nod to their car parked not far away, "What are you doing after this?"

"I have a bit of a side project I need to work on," she replied with a shrug, not missing the look of surprise that followed, "I figured the sooner I get it done and over with, the better."

Tony narrowed his eyes and looked at her thoughtfully. Ada knew what was on his mind before he even said it. For a moment, she was tempted to remind him that she was old enough to make her own choices. Yet, something held her back when she caught the look written across his face.

"I'm expecting you to take care of her, Rogers," he finally snapped after guessing what she was up to. Whatever it was, it involved a ride and someone familiar with the area, "She's still my baby girl, and nothing is ever going to change that."

Ada nearly rolled her eyes at his last remark, and almost said something in her defense when Steve intervened, "I will, but, something tells me she won't need me. She can handle herself, Tony."

She couldn't hide the triumphant smile that followed, especially as she noticed Tony's face falter slightly. Coulson had reminded Tony countless times that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Even that wasn't enough to deter him from his overprotective nature.

"Just make sure you call when you're done," he let out an over dramatic sigh before wrapping his arms around her in a hug. She returned the gesture, knowing this was anything but easy for him to see her go off on her own path, "And kick his ass if he crosses the line."

"Deal," she whispered back.

Once they pulled apart, she gave Banner a parting hug before standing beside Steve. It wasn't easy, realizing that things would never be the same once this was over. Their lives were all connected, and yet, they all seemed so far apart. Ada could only hope that this journey had at least taught them that they shouldn't stay closed off to the world, forever. They all needed someone looking out for them, no matter how often they tried denying it.

* * *

 **AN: I'm sorry it's been such a long time since my last update; I've been trying to figure out how I'll transition this story into the sequel, and I've also been debating whether or not side-chapters (filler chapters, more specifically revolving around Ada and Steve) should be posted in a separate story. It'll be a series of one-shots, but, it will also hold some importance to this story, and the chapters might be shorter compared to these chapters (roughly between one-thousand to two-thousand words each chapter). If anyone thinks this is a good idea, please let me know! Otherwise, updates will remain slower than usual because I'm trying to figure out where to post those chapters in this story.**

 **Also, huge thanks to Nogly and CrazyCrapInc for reviewing!**

 **Nogly - I did change the chapter to your translation; thanks for letting me know!**

 **CrazyCrapInc - Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed this so much, and hopefully you'll enjoy future chapters :)**


	35. Chapter Thirty Five

**Chapter Thirty Five**

"The School for the Gifted is actually a school for mutants?" Steve asked in surprise as they made their way to the school in question.

"It's a place where they go to learn how to control their abilities," she explained with a shrug, "There's still a lot of people out there who are prejudice against mutants, because they're different and sometimes can't control their powers. But, a lot of them have learned how to live amongst humans, and some even thrive off of it."

She'd done a lot of research on mutants back when she first started training with Natasha. A lot of it was based on the fact that her powers were similar to theirs, in a way. Though, she was beginning to realize that the major differences were that her powers were varied and based off of emotion. The angrier she felt, the more powerful they were and the better chances she had of losing control. That was why she had learned meditation was the best technique in keeping them under control.

What fascinated her the most about mutants, though, was that people just assumed they started showing up only fifty years ago. She'd quickly learned that that wasn't the case. They had been around far longer than most people realized, even back in the days of Ancient Egypt. There was some speculation that the stories authors came up with were based off of real life events that happened, involving mutants.

"I can sort of see why you think you might have a connection with them," he quipped, glancing at her thoughtfully as they pulled to a stop for a small break. It was still a three hour drive from Manhattan, and any chance for a break to stretch their legs was favorable, "Do you really think you can learn about your people through them?"

"I've learned that sometimes the impossible, is possible," she replied, smirking when he threw her an incredulous look, "After Loki's attack, and finding out that Asgard is real, we shouldn't just make assumptions."

Steve's shoulders sagged as the overwhelming possibility that some things just couldn't be explained were becoming a reality. Try as he might, she had a valid point. She knew it wasn't easy to accept that. But, the world was constantly changing. Learning to cope with that change was important, especially in this day and age.

"I'm surprised that Tony let you go, given how… overprotective he seems to be," he suddenly put in.

That was enough to send a shiver through Ada. She understood why Tony was so overprotective. Though their relationship had always been strange to most people, more strained than anything else, she realized that was his way of making sure she stayed safe. She would always find a way to defy him, though. Tony couldn't seem to figure out that nothing was going to change her mind once it was made up.

"I think the only reason he let me go was because you agreed to take me," she admitted, earning a look of surprise seconds later when they set off on the road, again, "I am grateful for everything he's done for me, but, there are times when I wish he'd realize I'm not helpless."

"You know, I'd be grateful having a father who looked after me," Steve said thoughtfully.

Ada looked at him in surprise before remembering that he'd never really had a father figure in his life, as far as she was aware. She looked away after feeling slightly embarrassed for bringing it up, knowing that there was a lot she took for granted these days.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," she murmured, mentally smacking herself for saying anything at all.

"Don't be," he reassured her with a warm smile. "I never really knew my father… Bucky was always the one who looked after me, even when my mom was alive."

She couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she recalled from Coulson that Bucky had been Steve's best friend, and partner during the war. She realized with a start how lucky he was to have a good friend like that. One who was willing to back him up even during the hardest times. She used to love hearing the stories about the Howling Commandos when Coulson had the time to share them. And he didn't seem to mind sharing them either. If anything, he was happy that someone had been interested in their history.

The rest of their trip had gone by in a similar manner. Talking was the best way to pass time. Plus, it gave them a chance to get to know one another better. It only just dawned on Ada that this was the first time since that night in the cafe that they were able to talk like this. She knew that they had begun on a rocky start while aboard the Hellicarrier. Things hadn't gotten much better during the fight, but Steve seemed to finally see her in a new light when he saw what she was capable of.

Finally, they reached the destination in question. Manchester, New York. Ada peered over her shoulder to see that this place was heavily wooded compared to what she was used to seeing in New York. Then again, she was beginning to realize that the state was bigger than just the spiraling city she had lived in for nearly a year, now.

The mansion itself was guarded by heavy iron gates. She could see the sign that was posted as private property on one side. But, on the other where the gates were connected to cement block was a sign that read, ' _Xavier's School for the Gifted_ '.

"This is it," she murmured after they reached the gates. She glanced at Steve warily, knowing that this was likely out of his elements. Yet, he seemed more curious than wary as he studied the gates cautiously, "Are you sure you want to go in? There's no telling what we'll find behind those gates," she added.

"I promised Tony that I would keep you safe, and, I plan on keeping that promise," he replied without hesitation.

Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise. She wasn't expecting that response, especially since she knew that Steve and Tony hadn't necessarily hit it off right away. In fact, she suspected that Tony had been jealous of Steve. It was difficult to explain, but, she knew that Howard Stark had constantly praised Captain America in front of Tony when he was just a kid. To find out that his father's idol was alive must have been hard on him.

"He isn't nearly as obnoxious as people make him out to be," she remarked as she pushed the gate open, already aware that Xavier probably knew they were there.

Steve almost smirked at that, but, he didn't say anything as they walked along the path that led to open fields and gardens. The sight was an impressive one. Ada had to admit, she found herself gaping when she noticed that the place was beautifully landscaped, with large trees, a variety of gardens, ponds and lakes that seemed to spread out before them. What really took her by surprise, though, were the students who were also outside enjoying the sunny weather. Some of them had stopped upon seeing the visitors, a few glaring at them suspiciously.

She couldn't blame them for feeling so suspicious. After everything they had likely been through, it was a wonder they trusted outsiders at all. She didn't bother making eye contact, knowing that wouldn't help matters.

 _The last thing I want is to fight any of you_ , she tried reassuring them silently. She always believed in giving people a chance if she didn't know anything about them. Especially when she knew they were just trying to survive in this world.

"Why do I get the feeling they're not happy we're here?" Steve's question brought her back to reality.

"Probably because they're not overly fond of seeing trespassers on our property." They stopped at the sound of a man's voice, and, Ada looked towards the entrance of the mansion to see someone approaching them. Dressed in a leather jacket and gray jeans, wearing what looked like a strange pair of sunglasses, he was intimidating at best, "Do you wanna explain to me what you're doing, here? This school isn't open to the public."

"I was hoping that I could speak with Professor Xavier," Ada explained, keeping her voice curt and professional as the man eyed them both suspiciously. Though, she noticed that his gaze was more fixated on Steve, "He does live here, I presume."

The man seemed to hesitate. Ada winced at the way he studied her carefully. Even though he was wearing sunglasses, she knew he could likely see right through her. She didn't want to pose a threat, not with so much at stake. He finally gave a nod, as if debating with himself silently.

"Alright; you don't seem like a threat," he gave in after relaxing just a bit, "We can never be too careful, what with how the public sees us."

"I'm sorry, about that," she apologized, shooting Steve a warning look as they were led towards the mansion, "I know we should have called, but, visiting was kind of a last minute decision."

Her shoulders sagged in relief when they finally reached the mansion. The mansion itself was huge, with different wings on either side. The stairs leading up to the mansion were occupied by yet more students who were either talking, or studying. Ada noticed with a start that none of them seemed to take notice of her or Steve's presence.

"How many students are attending this school?" Steve asked curiously, speaking out for the first time since the man in question arrived.

"Enough to keep us on our toes," the man replied over his shoulder, "Most of them were either dropped off or found their own way here. A few had parents who wanted a better life for them. This also acts like a sanctuary for them."

Ada nodded in understanding, suddenly feeling her stomach twist with pity as she imagined what it must be like, to feel afraid of stepping into the outside world. It couldn't be easy, living that kind of life. Then again, she realized that she would have likely lived that way had Tony never adopted her.

Once they were inside the mansion, itself, Ada found herself gawking at the sight that lay before her. The staircase split into two sets, leading to a foyer at the top where students were also hanging out or heading to and from classes. A beautiful looking woman with dark skin, brown hair and a white streak going through it stopped at the edge of the staircase upon their arrival.

"Hi, you must be the visitors Charles told us about," she greeted them with a welcoming smile, catching them both by surprise. "Word spreads fast, around here."

"I've noticed," Ada replied with a smile of her own.

She was grateful at least some of them were friendly, and the woman seemed happy to have visitors. It was better than leaving them with a bad first impression. Besides, Ada wasn't in any hurry to fight anyone after everything that had happened. She knew these people weren't a threat. They were so much more than that.

"I hope Scott didn't give you too hard of a time; he's not overly fond of strangers," she added, shooting the man in sunglasses a playful look. Scott just crossed his arms, and Ada could have sworn he'd rolled his eyes at that, "My name is Ororo, by the way."

"Ada Stark," Ada introduced herself with a handshake as the woman reached them.

Ororo hardly looked surprised with her introduction, though she noticed Scott stiffen beside her after realizing who he was talking to.

"Steve Rogers," Steve introduced himself after realizing she was expecting some kind of response.

"Captain America and a Stark," Scott remarked, tilting his head to one side, "I never thought I'd see the day where this was happening."

Ada almost smirked when she noticed Steve's cheeks turn a faint shade of pink. He did his best at hiding his sheer embarrassment. Not that Ada couldn't blame him. She never once thought of it that way, until Scott decided to bring it up.

"Ignore him," Ororo warned them, "Come, the Professor is waiting in his office."

Neither needed to be told twice as Ororo led the way. Ada suddenly felt self-conscious when she noticed a few of the students lingering in the hallway were watching the new arrivals warily. Whether it was out of suspicion or curiosity, she knew they likely were asking questions regarding their sudden arrival.

She knew the odds of Professor Xavier holding information on her people were slim. But, he might have an idea, and that was better than nothing. Ada wanted to know more about her people, and their history. More than anything, though, she wanted to know more about her mother. She tried contacting Nadia through her necklace, but, she remained silent as always since they brought Loki to the Hellicarrier.

Once they reached the Xavier's office, Ada found her shoulders tensing up. She never realized until than how nervous she was at meeting him in person. Ororo had been warm and welcoming, whereas Scott was entirely suspicious of their presence. He never fully relaxed around them, and she could see him watching them every now and then, as if expecting a random attack. She swallowed back the lump forming in her throat, hoping she didn't look like a nervous wreck.

"Ah, you must be Miss Ada Stark, and, Captain Rogers," a new voice greeted them in the same manner as Ororo. Ada blinked in surprise as she noticed the man in question was sitting in a wheelchair. His head was bald, and he wore a suit that seemed fitting for his role as both Professor and Principal of the school, "I was wondering when I would get the chance to meet you in particular, though."

She blinked once more when Xavier's gaze reached her. For a moment, Ada wondered if he'd known long before the decision was made that they would meet. Then she pushed the thought aside. Something told her that she didn't want to know how he had known of her planned visit.

"Professor, it's an honor to meet you in person," she greeted him with a nod, glancing at Steve when she noticed how overwhelmed he was with all of these new faces, "I'm sorry for our sudden arrival, but I didn't know if you were taking calls or not."

"We would not have allowed entry if we knew you posed a threat, Miss Stark," Xavier reassured her, gesturing for them to take a seat, "Now, you informed Scott that you were here to receive information, but on what, I wonder?"

"Well, I was hoping you would have some information on my people," she admitted, suddenly feeling sheepish for thinking he might know something at all, "I was informed by an associate of mine that I come from a race known as the Aliquid."

She watched as Xavier's face faltered at the mention of the Aliquid. After hearing what Natasha had told her, she couldn't shake off the feeling that others had done their own research on them. She knew that not much was known about them, and that was why SHIELD had been studying the ancient beings that were hunted down.

"I'm afraid there isn't much I know about the Aliquid," he sighed, leaning back against his chair as he studied her thoughtfully, "About the only knowledge I have on them is that they were thought to be extinct… until now."

She grimaced when Steve looked at her in disbelief. She had watched countless people die in her dreams. All because they were Nadia's memories. She tried burying those mental images, but, it was difficult knowing that her people had suffered for so long.

"Do you know why the Black Knights were so hellbent on hunting them down?" she asked curiously.

Xavier only shook his head, "As I said before, little is known about them, or the people you call the Black Knights. I can only assume that you have already met them?"

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip, wincing as she remembered the way Emmett had betrayed her. Worst still was seeing the cold look Nathan had given her before disappearing with his son. Had she known sooner who his father was working for, she never would have agreed to dating him.

"I have," she replied, "It was a fallout."

From what she had gathered, Xavier was capable of reading minds. She had no doubt that he already knew what had happened, especially from the way he too grimaced. It wasn't something she particularly liked talking about, given the circumstances.

"Ah, I can see why you would feel that way," he finally nodded in understanding, "And, I can only presume that your friend here knows what your associates told you?"

"Bits and pieces of what I was already told," Steve replied with a shrug, looking more than wary at being put on the spotlight. "You never mentioned anything about meeting the Black Knights, though."

 _So much for keeping him out of the loop_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes.

"I dated his son," she explained, her voice suddenly bitter as Steve blinked in surprise, "Turned out the bastard was working for the Black Knights, and looking for the right opportunity."

Steve's brows furrowed with concern after realizing what happened nearly four years ago. It was at that time she decided to focus on her training rather than her love life. After all, she had more important things to worry about than dating anyone. As far as she was concerned, men all thought the same way, with one head.

"I apologize for not having more information on your people, Miss Stark," Xavier put in after awkward silence filled the room.

"No, don't apologize," she reassured him. "I'm just grateful you trusted us enough to let us in."

"Trust is a rather complicated term, isn't it?" he suddenly asked, leaning forward as their eyes met. Once again, Ada suddenly found herself feeling self-conscious as she wondered if he could read her every thoughts, "A SHIELD agent and the Super Soldier, working together… it seems almost fitting."

"We're not actually, together," Steve tried brushing him off.

Though, the smirk that followed said it all. Ada looked away as she suddenly wished a hole would open up and swallow her. The last thing she wanted was to even consider themselves compatible. After all, Steve had only just woken up from the ice and lost everything. She'd heard about his crush on Peggy Carter through a the grape vine, and she had a feeling that dating someone was the last thing on his mind.

"Even so, your journey must have been a long one, given where you were," Xavier put in after clasping his hands together, "On any normal occasion, we would not allow visitors to stay, but, we have rooms to accommodate your visit."

Ada stared at Xavier in disbelief when she realized what he was implying. To hear such hospitality from someone who could have easily kicked them out was almost unheard of. She exchanged a wary look with Steve, knowing that he had a point. It had taken them longer than expected to reach the mansion. A rest before they set off again would feel more than welcoming.

"Thank you, sir," she nodded her thanks, suddenly aware that he was taking a huge risk by letting them stay, "I think I'll accept that offer."

Steve's response was a nod of his own, and while he had been quiet throughout their conversation, she could see a million questions within his eyes. Despite that, though, he kept quiet as Xavier gestured for Ororo to show them their rooms. She was relieved to leave it at that. Despite her best intentions at finding out more about her people, she knew that it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Xavier had taken her by surprise with his kindness, and she hoped that she could return the favor after their sudden arrival. After all, it was the least she could do.

…

It was late by the time they retired to the room they were offered by Professor Xavier. After dinner with a few curious students who had asked questions upon questions, Ada was more than ready to hit the bed and sleep off her exhaustion. She hadn't expected so many questions, or students who were so familiar with her. It had been embarrassing, especially with Steve watching the whole time while a few asked him what it was like being Captain America.

"I never realized you were so popular," he remarked with a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement when they reached their room.

The fact that they were sharing a room was awkward enough. Ada was just thankful they had separate beds to sleep in, otherwise she would have problems. Besides, neither of them were planning to start a relationship with one another. The best thing to do was try and ignore the situation at hand. Steve seemed perfectly fine with that notion, especially when he saw how awkward things were already.

"The media always tries to make things worse than they already are," she sighed in frustration, "I've never liked having my picture taken by them, but, I know it can't be avoided forever."

Dealing with the paparazzi was just one of the many things she had to cope with when it came to being Tony Stark's adopted daughter. Her first encounter with the press hadn't ended in a high note. In fact, she'd nearly punched one of the reporters when they jumped her while she was shopping with Pepper.

Shaking her head at the thought, Ada was more than relieved to drop the subject and get some rest.

* * *

 **AN: So, the next couple of chapters might seem random and out of place. When I originally wrote this, I never intended to write more than a couple of chapters revolving around the X-Men (even though I love them); I also want to clarify things; is it Manchester the mansion is located in, or, some other city? Had someone yelling at me in the previous story that it was the wrong location, so, I want to make sure that I'm right. Anywho, thanks Softballpup12 for reviewing!**

 **Softballpup12 - XD Thank you! Yeah; I've always seen Tony as being a great father, despite what others would say. And, I'll see what I can do about the smaller chapters. Maybe I'll post them as filler chapters, and delve into Ada and Steve's relationship further :) Thanks again for reviewing, I'm glad you're enjoying this so much :D**


	36. Chapter Thirty Six

**Chapter Thirty Six**

Ada shifted uneasily in her bed. Sleep didn't come easily for her, that night. Her dreams kept shifting from nightmares to regular dreams. Images of the people she had dreamed of when she was younger kept rushing back to haunt her. She knew that the Black Knights were still out there, looking for her. The fact that they had left her unscathed since her encounter with Nathaniel and Emmett had unnerved her.

Finally, Ada sat up and decided that she wasn't going to get much sleep. Not after her conversation with Xavier.

She knew the odds of finding out more about her people were slim. Asking Xavier for more information had been a risky decision, one that she should have thought of before asking Steve to go with her. She shook her head at the thought.

 _I wish you would talk to me_ , she thought after looking down at the necklace Nadia had left her.

Her mother had remained absent throughout the battle of Manhattan, and ever since then. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering what the point of being able to communicate was if she remained silent. Ada had little to no idea whether she truly was the last of her kind.

"Can't sleep?"

Ada glanced at Steve in surprise when she noticed he too was awake. She shifted once again, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. The fact that they were sharing a room hadn't gone by unnoticed. She knew that if Tony found out, he would never let them live it down. More importantly, he'd blame Steve for acting upon impulse. She tried shaking off the uneasy thought, knowing that wouldn't get her anywhere.

"No," she admitted.

Steve furrowed his brows together, looking at her thoughtfully, "You and me both," he finally sighed in agreement, running a hand through his hair.

"I keep having the same dream, over and over," she murmured thoughtfully, "It always ends the same."

She chewed the bottom of her lip, picturing the people in her dreams as they fled from villages that were burned or destroyed by the Black Nights. It only just dawned on her that the humans who harbored her people were also likely caught in the crossfire. The fighting had only gotten worse when her people began fighting back in the attempts of staying alive. The nomadic group her mother lived in had been the last, living on rations and struggling to survive.

"I'm sorry." Steve's apology left her blinking in surprise, and she couldn't help but look at him warily when she noticed he hadn't stopped watching her, "All of this is… out of my league. I wasn't born in a time when aliens existed, and this…"

"Seems impossible," she finished for him, shaking her head in grim amusement, "Honestly, I wouldn't have believed my story if I first heard it. It is overwhelming."

He gave a nod of understanding. Though he didn't understand what she was going through, he understood what it felt like to be different. To be seen and treated as someone who would always stand out. Growing up with that kind of life couldn't have been easy. He was ready to say something when an explosion suddenly shook the building.

Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat as the windows rattled from the force of the impact. It could have been anything. A random science experiment gone wrong with the students. But, at the late hour they were awake, she realized it was anything but normal.

' _They are here_.' Ada flinched at the sound of Nadia's voice ringing in her ears.

It didn't take a genius to guess what Nadia meant by that. The moment her eyes met Steve's was when understanding swept between them. He reached for his shield, thankful he'd taken extra precaution. Even if they weren't in dangerous territory, that didn't mean he never came prepared. Ada felt the same, knowing that it was better to be safe than sorry in the situation they soon found themselves in.

"Keep the students in their rooms," she heard Scott shouting as he and the other teachers scrambled into action.

Another explosion shook the foundations, causing the whole building to shutter and groan from the impact. Glass shattered as the windows were broken from the explosion, and a piece managed to graze her arm, leaving a small cut in the process.

"Make sure they're not caught in the crossfire," she snapped after she and Steve left the room, not missing the chaos of a mixture of ages racing to the nearest room. "I'd never forgive myself if they were hurt because of me."

"That's very noble of you, Miss Stark, but I do believe most of them are capable of handling themselves." She froze at the sound of Xavier's voice, whirling around to find him watching the two of them warily, "They're after you."

"I'm afraid so," she replied, glancing over her shoulder as she caught movement from the windows observing the front lawn, "Look, I'm sorry for bringing this trouble to your school; I'll do what I can to lead them away."

She hadn't missed the look Steve was giving her. Though he desperately wanted to say something, he kept wisely kept his mouth closed. She was ready to defend these students because she brought this attack upon them. The least she could do was keep them safe.

"We'll buy as much time as we can, just get them to safety," he put in as Xavier nodded in agreement to those terms, "Look, I promised Tony that I would keep you safe," he added to Ada once they left the main entrance and reached the courtyard.

"And, you're doing an admirable job at that," she retorted with a roll of her eyes, "I'm not letting these students get hurt because I led these assholes here."

Steve opened his mouth, ready to argue when he realized it was pointless. He had seen how stubborn she was firsthand on the Hellicarrier, and during the battle. It was clear that any order he gave would fall on deaf ears.

"Alright, but you don't have to fight them alone," he reminded her, pausing as they finally spotted the men responsible for the attack.

"Looks like the rat finally came out to play," one of them sneered. Ada only glared at them; after watching what she could only assume were the ancestors of these men kill countless people throughout the centuries, she couldn't suppress the rush of anger that swept through her. These men were heavily armored and guarded with weapons. The only difference was that they used weapons from this century, and they kept their faces covered in masks, "And, she's made a little friend."

"Leave this school alone," she snapped, all-too-aware of the rage seething within her voice. She couldn't tell if that was her own anger, or that of Nadia's. It was strange; she could feel her mother's emotions as she glared at the men that stood before them, "It's me you're after."

She hadn't missed the fact that the teachers were lingering in the background. Scott and Jean Gray, another teacher they had met the other day, were keeping an eye on the men in case things got out of hand. Ada was suddenly thankful they had the resources they needed to keep these students safe. The last thing she wanted was for them to get hurt because she was the one these men were after.

"You're right, child," another practically growled out the words; the sound of a weapon preparing to fire followed, and Ada stiffened as she noticed movement out of the corner of her eyes, "You are the prize we have been looking for, after all these years."

Faster than she thought possible, Steve suddenly threw his shield as the weapon fired in their direction, blocking the attack. Ada flinched at the explosion that followed. Debris flew around them from the force of the impact, and a gaping hole from explosion opened nearby.

"She isn't a prize," Steve retorted after reaching for his shield.

"And I sure as hell won't make an easy target," she added, firing a ball of fire in their direction.

The men scattered, some ducking for cover while one of them rushed forward and tried aiming for whatever opening he spotted. Ada moved to the side just as his fist was about to collide with her chest, and she performed a roundhouse kick before he could recover from his initial surprise.

Steve was holding his own in the fight, knocking out a few of the men in the process. Not for the first time, Ada found herself silently thanking Natasha and Clint for their strict training regimes. Despite the fact that she would constantly return home with fresh injuries, it paid off in the end.

"Do you honestly believe these humans will continue defending you?" one of the men snarled. Her eyes narrowed with fury when she recognized the sound of Nathan's voice. Though it had been a little over three years since that disastrous fallout with Emmett, she had been dreading the day when she would see his father, again. She knew it was inevitable that they would cross paths, "Once they find out what you are truly capable of, they will turn their backs on you, just as the others did, centuries ago."

"You don't know that," she spat, though, that hadn't stopped the cloud of doubt from sweeping through her.

She realized with a start that he had a point. As much as she wanted to deny it, people feared the unknown. It was one of the reasons she had been terrified of telling Tony the truth. She was still afraid that he would never truly accept her, because she was different.

"Oh, I think I do," he sneered. She flinched when he grabbed her by her chin. A shiver swept through her when he lifted his mask, revealing a face that left her wishing she had finished him the day they met, "I know that they will turn on you, and hunt you down once you lose control. I'm certain your mother wants nothing more than revenge on what our people did to yours."

Her blood ran cold at the mention of her mother. It didn't take long for her to recognize the angry voice of Nadia ringing in the back of her mind. Above the sounds of fighting in the background, she could hear the angry curses Nadia spit out, amongst other incoherent words. She was angry, and, rightfully so.

' _I will not let you hurt my daughter_!'

Those words came out loud and clear. Nathan hadn't released his grip on her chin, and was squeezing tightly enough that it caused a burning pain. Ada's heart began pounding with panic when she spotted the sword he was unsheathing with his free hand. She realized with a start that the ground was beginning to tremble, and this time, it wasn't from the weapons they were firing.

 _No, I won't lose control_! she silently reprimanded herself. She managed to throw her leg up high enough that she kicked Nathan in the shin, ignoring the stinging pain from the metal armor he wore. The impact of her kick was enough for him to lose his grip, dropping her in the process.

' _These men deserve to burn for their crimes against our people_!' Nadia's voice screamed with outrage.

 _I'm not going to kill them_ , she argued, suddenly aware of the anger that was beginning to overwhelm her. _They may be assholes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to kill them out of pure rage_.

"Ada!" Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Steve's voice. It took her a few seconds to realize that he'd wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back before Nathan could strike her with his sword. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, suddenly wishing a hole would open up and swallow her.

The men who remained standing were quickly taken care of by Scott and Jean, who managed to knock them out after finding an opening. Ada held back a sigh of relief when she realized that Nadia's voice had fallen silent once more. The rush of anger from earlier soon began to fade away, and was quickly replaced with guilt.

"Is she alright?" Scott asked after reaching them.

Ada swallowed hard as a lump formed in the back of her throat. The look of concern written across Steve's face was just another reminder that she'd gone too far. She had almost lost control, and that would have ended in disaster.

"I almost lost control," she whispered.

"You didn't," Jean reassured her, kneeling down so that they were within eye-level. Ada looked at her warily as the older woman looked back sympathetically, "You could have easily killed those men like your mother wanted, but you didn't let her."

For a moment, Ada wasn't sure what to say when she realized what Jean was implying. She had regained control when her mother tried taking over. Yet, it still felt like a loss. She couldn't shake off the feeling that maybe Nadia had been right, and that justified in wanting nothing more than to end their lives. What really took her by surprise was the fact that Jean had been able to hear her mother's voice.

"Thank you," she sighed, glancing at Steve when she caught him watching them. He was still holding her, and it took a few seconds for either of them to realize that. "Is everyone else okay?"

"The professor managed to get all the students to their rooms before the fighting broke out," Scott reported, eyeing the pair curiously when they finally pulled apart. Ada hadn't missed the fact that Steve's cheeks turned a faint shade of red, or that her own cheeks were flushing with embarrassment, "Most of the damage that was caused should be repaired within a couple of days."

"Look, I'm sorry any of this happened," she muttered, furrowing her brows together when she realized none of this would have happened had she avoided letting curiosity get the better of her, "This is all my fault."

"There's no need to blame yourself," Jean reassured her, offering a sympathetic smile, "Our school is prepared for just about anything including random attacks from knights in shining armor."

Ada almost smiled at that.

The whole idea of men dressed in armor from ancient times was ridiculous. Then again, she had seen stranger things. Knowing that these men had attacked without reason left her realizing that she needed to tread more carefully. The good news was, at least these assholes had been taken care of, and the worst of the attack was now behind them. Now, they needed to focus on cleaning up and making up for what had happened.

…

It took a few hours for them to clear everything. The front lawn and the courtyard had been littered with men who were knocked out during the fight. Once she and Steve worked together in making sure that they were cuffed and ready to be picked up by SHIELD, Xavier and a few other teachers worked at clearing the debris from their attack.

"I am sorry for what happened," Ada apologized after giving Fury a call for a cleanup crew to pick up the cuffed men. "I just wish there was more I could do to help."

"I believe you have done enough, for now," Xavier reassured her, "I only wish I had more information on your people… it seems they have their share of secrets, and aren't willing to give them up."

Ada gave a nod, all-too-aware of the secrets her mother wasn't willing to relinquish. She knew she wouldn't be able to convince her to share any knowledge after the other day. Especially given the circumstances of their sudden departure from the school.

"Thank you again, for your hospitality," she nodded her thanks.

She felt more than apprehensive after making sure that the Black Knights remaining on the school yard were dealt with. Xavier returned the gesture, fully aware that this was likely the last time they would see each other. They had already overstayed their welcome. Knowing that they were the reason behind said destruction hadn't helped matters; she just hoped that the Black Knights didn't try going after the students after they left.

Once goodbyes were said and done, she and Steve made their way back to where he'd parked his motorcycle.

"I'm glad you asked me to go with you," the Super Soldier suddenly remarked.

"Why, because you were proven right about needing to keep me safe?" Ada asked, tilting her head to one side.

As far as she was concerned, their trip had ended in disaster. She should have known better than to risk visiting a school where children were involved and could have gotten hurt.

"No… when you sacrificed yourself on the Hellicarrier, I was proven wrong. You are capable of handling yourself, and then some."

Ada blinked in disbelief when Steve said that. The look written across his face was sincere, and for the first time since that night in the cafe, she suddenly realized that maybe he wasn't that bad, after all. What surprised her more than anything was his willingness to accept the fact that she wasn't human. Considering where and _when_ he came from, she would have thought for sure that he would start treating her differently.

"You know, Fury did assign me to help you adjust to modern technology," she pointed out. Steve rose an eyebrow, and was clearly unsure of where she was getting at with that, "If you're still up to it, I can always take time off my schedule to do just that."

It took Steve a few seconds to register what she was suggesting. For a moment, he thought of arguing. After all, Tony wouldn't take too kindly to the fact that they were spending more time together. Yet, the offer was also something he had been hoping for over the last few months since waking up from the ice.

"I'd like that," he replied after giving it some thought.

 _I just hope I know what I'm getting myself into_ , Ada thought, all-too-aware that one mistake could lead to disaster. For now, this would be a good way of getting to know one another. And, Ada was fine with that. Especially when she knew that they would likely only ever see one another as nothing more than friends, or teammates.

* * *

 **AN: I honestly wasn't even sure where I was going with this when I first wrote it. I knew I had an idea mapped out in my mind, but, unfortunately, I never wrote it down. Nonetheless, more of the Black Knights will be revealed in later chapters. Though they didn't get too much time in these chapters, I hope I did the X-Men some justice. It's been a while since I've seen the original movies, even though I've seen Apocalypse and the others recently. I also wanted to thank Softballpup12 for reviewing once again; your reviews are greatly appreciated :D**

 **Softballpup12 - Thank you! I've always enjoyed them, too. I almost wished Disney owned the rights to them; they could make an awesome crossover with the X-Men and the Avengers. And, yeah, a single bed certainly would have made things awkward between them, wouldn't it? ;)**


	37. Chapter Thirty Seven

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

SHIELD had offered her a small apartment she could settle into while the Tower was under construction. The rest of the city had begun recovering from Loki's attack. Civilians were already returning to recover what was lost and continue on with their lives.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she studied the space she had available.

With a small kitchen, a table and a living room that around a few people could share comfortably, it was meagerly sized at best. A bedroom and an add-on bathroom made up the rest of the space.

The apartment itself might have been small, but it was better than nothing. Ada knew that things could have been worse. She never took things for granted the way most people would have. Having grown up in the orphanage, Ada had begun to appreciate whatever meager space was offered to her. Even if it meant living in a crawl-space or sleeping on the floor. As a SHIELD agent, she was taught to be prepared for any situation she was placed under.

She shook her head at the thought before grabbing her Stark Pad. Despite all of the calls and constant nagging, she hadn't been able to reach Tony since they parted ways. It had been nearly a week since she last spoke with him. Because she and Steve had reached an agreement that she would teach her the use of modern technology, she wouldn't likely see Tony or the rest of the family until the holidays. At least, not in person.

"Are you sure you wanna stay there?" he started after finally answering. Ada sat back on the sofa, utilizing what space she had to remain as comfortable as possible. "I doubt SHIELD offered the same amount of living space as I would. Besides, I'm not overly fond with the fact that you and Rogers are getting so… _close_."

"You know, I've got better things to do than hear you run your mouth off about my decisions," she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Tony just smirked in amusement as he noticed her sudden change in attitude. He knew he was getting under her skin when she started snapping at him. He quickly learned that it was best to avoid her anger when he pushed her too far. Now, he was curious about her sudden decision to stay behind, and he was willing to do exactly what he shouldn't do. She nearly rolled her eyes at the thought. Tony wasn't above trying to figure out what was going on between herself and Steve, and she doubted that he would let it go anytime soon.

"So, why'd you decide to stay behind?" he suddenly asked.

That was enough for Ada to look down at the coffee table uneasily. She'd learned after living with Tony for the last thirteen years that it was best not to lead him on. He had a tendency to overreact; he'd already proven that during their time on the Hellicarrier.

"Relax, dad. I've only agreed to stay so that I can help get him caught up on modern technology," she replied.

She was thankful she'd left out what had happened during their time at Xavier's School for the Gifted. Tony had been thoroughly interested in where they were headed when she'd explained they were going on a small trip. Instead of telling him the truth, she'd simply told him they were going to upper-state New York.

Considering his interest in mutants and the school itself, she was hardly surprised with his interest in them. Though, Ada doubted he would have been welcome among the school for the reputation he had.

"Look, all I'm saying is you don't need to follow protocol. We've got enough work around here to keep you busy," he pointed out.

Though he meant it as a joke, she could hear the disdain in his voice. Ada nearly rolled her eyes again as she realized how much he didn't enjoy the fact that she was spending so much time with Steve. His overprotective nature was beginning to irritate her. Especially when she knew firsthand that there was nothing going on between them. About the only thing that had changed between them was that they were getting to know each other a little better. And that was only because Steve had been the one to admit that they needed to if they wanted to work together.

"And I'm insisting that I'm needed here," she retorted with equal annoyance. "Look, you can't convince me to go back until I'm finished."

Tony was ready to argue when he finally thought better of it. Though she knew she was in for an earful, he thankfully dropped the subject on Steve and went on to talk about how the Tower's construction was turning out.

Another reason she had stayed behind was to see through the rest of the Tower's construction. Most of it had been complete, but there were a few levels that still needed some renovation. Ada had been more than relieved to have another excuse, one she knew Tony couldn't argue against. The construction had been moving forward quickly, but getting zoning permits again and making sure that they went through all the normal protocols had taken time.

"Just promise me you'll kick Rogers' ass if he crosses the line," he sighed after pinching the bridge of his nose once they were finished.

"Dad, you of all people should know I can't make that promise," she reminded him.

It took everything she had not to smirk in amusement as Tony pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration. She knew exactly what got under his skin, and she took full advantage of that.

Once it became clear that was the end of their conversation, Tony finally called it a day and dropped the video call.

Ada's shoulders sagged in relief once he let her go. She knew it wasn't easy for him. He was always stubborn at heart, and had proven on more than one occasion what a good father he was. She loved Tony, and, that would never change. She just wanted her own space, and as difficult as it was to accept, she was now a young adult.

She shook her head at the thought before gathering whatever necessities were needed for the day.

After going over the plan with Steve, it was decided that they would meet at the local cafe where they first met before Loki's attack. She'd already decided that she would take him to the local library where they could delve deeper into whatever he'd missed out on over the last few decades.

Once she had finished gathering her supplies, she made her way down to the cafe that was only a few blocks away. She watched a couple of bystanders warily, surprised how few people were actually out and about. Though the city itself had sustained damage during the battle, most of the buildings were already under repair thanks to her father's payment. It may have been Tony's attempt at appeasing to the public, but Ada knew there were still a few people who blamed him and the rest of the Avengers for the damage that was caused.

 _SHIELD's going to have their hands full trying to fix the damage that was caused during the battle_ , she thought. She suspected that it would take more than a few months for them to recover from the shock of that battle. Lives had been lost, and that was something that couldn't easily be replaced.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip when she finally reached the cafe. The cafe itself had remained surprisingly intact during the worst of the battle. The roof and a couple of windows were currently under repair, but the owners had left it open for any customers that remained.

She rose an eyebrow, surprised as she walked inside to see that the place was bustling with activity. Quite a few customers were scattered around with laptops and paperwork scattered along the tables. It wasn't until spotting Steve that she realized a few people had been watching from a safe distance. What surprised her more than anything was the fact that he had two drinks instead of one.

"Hi," he greeted her after she reached the table.

"Hey," she returned the gesture, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly as she gestured to the drinks, "You ordered two?"

"I uh, remembered what you ordered the last time we were here," he admitted.

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed, especially when she noticed his cheeks turning a faint shade of red, "You know you didn't have to – I'm not exactly a big fan of handouts when I can easily pay for my own things, or work for them."

"Consider this your payment for today," Steve suggested without missing a beat.

She had already considered it, and she realized with a start that it was a kind gesture on Steve's part. She'd quickly learned that money hadn't exactly been easy for him to come by where he came from. So she was surprised that he'd been willing to pay for an extra at all.

"Thank you," she nodded her thanks after deciding to accept the offer, "I've already gathered material we can use to get you on par with the last few decades, and I figured the library would be a good place to start as far as technology is concerned."

Steve leaned back against his seat, eyeing her thoughtfully as he considered his options. If he wanted to learn how to adapt to the world of modern technology and everything it had to offer, this was the best way.

"Seems to me like that's our best option," he nodded in agreement.

"Right," she gave a nod of her own.

She was used to being taught, not the other way around. Natasha had been her teacher for the last three years when it came to learning hand-to-hand combat, and other forms of defensive arts. Teaching someone else was something she had never done, and she suddenly found herself wondering if she'd made the right decision.

Once again, she tried pushing the thought aside. Doubt was something that didn't suit her. She had been relying on confidence guiding her for the last few years of her training with SHIELD. Now that she was on her own, it was a whole different story.

…

"So much has happened over the last few decades that it's almost impossible to keep up," Steve sighed in frustration after tossing aside another newspaper article.

Stacks of papers from the _New York Times_ were scattered along a desk as she and Steve went over the material she'd gathered. Most of the papers had articles that were highlights of what had happened during the end of each decade. Ada was suddenly grateful that she managed to sort through all of the papers that the library had to offer for them. She'd done her research before they met, and she had asked Natasha and Clint for advice as well, seeing as they had more experience in this field.

Steve had been interested in quite a few, especially the Lunar Landing. Ada had been lucky enough to find an old black and white video recording of the landing online. The look on Steve's face when he watched the video play through was priceless. She'd seen enough stock footage to know that the Lunar Landing had been a spectacle for everyone to watch. Many people had bought televisions that were expensive back in those days just to watch the live broadcast.

"I've learned the best thing to do is study history; you can learn a lot from it," she pointed out. "The good news is, there's plenty of articles and videos that you can watch to keep you caught up with everything you missed out on."

The Super Soldier merely rose an eyebrow as she moved towards the computer.

She was thankful he had patience. She knew this wasn't easy for him. Having grown up in a world where technology like this hadn't existed at the time, it was literally like waking up in a new world. Ada couldn't imagine what that was like.

 _I've gotten so used to modern technology_ … _I can't imagine my life without it_ , she thought with a shudder.

"So, what's with the computer?" he asked after glancing at the computer itself warily.

"Technology isn't nearly as terrifying as you might think," she started. She couldn't help but grin after noticing the eye-roll that followed. "All jokes aside, you'll need to have access to an email account. They have the classic flip-phones you can use, but, I've learned it's easier to use a touch screen."

She found it hard to believe that this was the same man who managed to lead a team against the Chitauri. Or, who took on the Black Knights without batting an eyelash. He was like a completely different person when it came to figuring out how to adapt to modern life.

"I've never used a computer before," he admitted after joining her on a rolling chair.

"It's changing every day," she reminded him, "The sooner you figure it out, the better of you'll be. We can start off with making an email account."

"Do I really need all of that?" he asked, frowning as he realized just how overwhelming it was.

"It's the easiest way to keep in touch with people, other than by phone," she replied with a shrug, "And, before you start, the word ' _password_ ' does not make a good password." Steve just let out a sigh of frustration. "If it helps, you can start a notebook on things you need to work on."

The next few hours were spent showing him some of the best ways around the computer. They switched every now and then from the computer to highlights over the last couple of decades. The last thing she wanted was to add to the already stressful day he was likely having, though she could tell he was slowly but surely starting to lose his patience.

Once they finished going over newspaper articles, Ada went to work showing him how to operate a computer. The most challenging task was that Steve found it confusing trying to navigate from page to page. She understood his confusion, aware that the Internet was never easy to navigate through for first-time users.

"You make this look easy," he muttered after giving up within a few hours.

"The great Captain America, defeated by a computer," Ada rolled her eyes mockingly as he glared back, "Honestly, it isn't this difficult."

"It is for someone who wasn't born with this kind of technology," he retorted with equal stubbornness.

Ada had to bite back a fit of laughter when she caught the look written across his face.

"Steve, that's an old excuse elderly people like to use all the time," she snorted in amusement.

She shook her head in disbelief when Steve sighed once more, this time sounding more irritated than usual. Not that she couldn't blame him. She knew that she wasn't the easiest person to get along with. The fact that Steve had been willing to put up with her this long surprised her.

"I think it's time we took a break," he decided after a few seconds followed.

"Alright, Captain Grumpy Pants."

The look that followed was priceless. By now, she was struggling not to laugh as they cleared the table and gathered their belongings.

The library itself had been kind enough to offer a room where they could work in silence without a crowd of people gathering around them. Luckily, the building had received minimal damage during the battle, and was still open to the public.

"Look, I'm used to dealing with the army and helping people," Steve started when he easily kept up with her once they left the building, "This is new territory for me."

"Well, that makes two of us," she muttered under her breath.

 _I can't blame him for feeling so overwhelmed_ , she tried reasoning with herself. Steve glanced at her warily, and she suddenly felt more self-conscious than she thought possible. Knowing that they were taking the time to get to know one another only added to the unease that followed.

"Want to call it a day and grab some pizza?" she suddenly decided to change the subject.

The last thing she wanted was to make things worse than they already were. Steve was already on edge, and she knew that he wouldn't likely take well to more information from the past if it was offered. For now, some food and maybe a movie would do.

"You know, pizza would be great," he replied, letting his shoulders drop with relief after noticing her sudden change in demeanor.

Neither of them were going to argue with the fact that they needed to take their minds off of something other than what they were working on. Ada was just as relieved for the break, especially since it meant they would finally leave the library.

"Consider this my treat," she said after they'd ordered their food to go.

Sticking around certainly wasn't going to do them good. She had already seen more than a few people looking in their direction. Though, most of them had recognized her through any stories the media portrayed over her role as Tony's adopted daughter.

"Look, you don't have to do that," he pointed out.

"Hey, you treated me to coffee… it's the least I could do," she retorted, fighting back another fit of laughter.

Steve held back a sigh of frustration as they finally reached the counter and ordered their food. Despite the fact that he was mentally exhausted, he couldn't hide the small smile that followed. Even he knew how stubborn she could be. Yet, that same stubborn spirit was something he soon found himself admiring.

"Thanks again for… everything," he started when they finally reached the block her apartment was on. His wasn't that far away, but, he felt obliged to walk her to her apartment. "You didn't have to go out of your way and help me with this."

He gestured to everything around them. Ada rose an eyebrow, knowing that this had been anything but easy for him.

"Well, it was the least I could do," she replied with a shrug.

Not for the first time, they found themselves standing there in awkward silence. Ada couldn't help but look down at the ground as she thought of how Fury expected her to become Steve's teacher. She never realized until than how awkward it would be for them. The problem was, she couldn't understand _why_ it was so awkward.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Though it came as a question rather than a statement, Ada understood what he meant by it.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," she nodded in agreement.

As they parted ways, Ada glanced over her shoulder, realizing that tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

 **AN: Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring. It was originally a thousand words less, so I added a lot. The next couple of chapters might be a bit boring, and shorter, though they mostly revolve around Ada and Steve's relationship, so that might be a bit exciting ;) I also had no idea what else to title this chapter, so I apologize for the cornyness of it XD At any rate, big thanks to Softballpup12 for reviewing! Any review makes my day, and motivates me to keep writing :) Also, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (to those who celebrate it in the US)!**

 **Softballpup12 - Thanks :D Yeah, a crossover would be an amazing idea. Maybe Disney could somehow negotiate with Fox and make one? Who knows... one can dream :P**


	38. Chapter Thirty Eight

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

Ada groaned and rolled over to her side, glancing at the clock that read five in the morning. Though her muscles weren't sore thanks to training with Natasha and Clint, she felt mentally drained. A few weeks of working with Steve taught her the meaning of patience.

She had been going over the last few decades with Steve, mostly focusing on the important details that might have been missed. That was the easy part. The real challenge was helping him deal with modern technology. Though he rarely showed it, she knew when he got frustrated.

Eventually, she decided to start a routine that would make things a little easier.

Each morning, they would go out for a morning run either through Central Park, or along the city. She had to remind herself to thank SHIELD for preparing her for when they started running. Because of the Super Soldier Serum, Steve had a lot more stamina and energy to burn off, and he could easily run a few miles without feeling exhausted.

Later in the afternoon, they would pick up on where they left off the other day. Despite his obvious lack of faith in modern technology, Steve did have patience when it came to her teaching. If there was one thing she admired about him, it was his persistence. He may not have been fond of it, but, he did understand the importance of technology.

Though, it wasn't until after they were finished with their work that Ada really began to see a new side of Steve. She hadn't missed how much more open he was around her. They enjoyed spending time together, even if neither were willing to admit it out loud.

The best part was hearing the stories he had to tell about fighting in the war and before that. She'd read stories about the Howling Commandos, and she even had the honor of meeting one when joining SHIELD. But, hearing the stories from Steve, who experienced it firsthand, was something entirely different.

What surprised her more than anything was the lack of calls she had from Tony. The last few days had been stressful because the Tower's construction had just begun, and Tony wanted most of his input along with Pepper's ideas put into place once the contractor arrived. So, it surprised her that he hadn't called or checked in since finding out that she and Steve were working together.

She knew he was overprotective of her, and had to admit that she couldn't ask for a better father. Though his behavior could be annoying at times, she appreciated having a father that cared about her and looked out for her.

Letting out a sigh, Ada finally sat up and got into the shower. There was much that needed to get done for the day. Between working with Steve and making sure that everything went well with the Tower's construction while Tony was away, she knew her day would be booked.

Once she finished washing up and dried her hair, she changed into a new outfit and checked her messages.

To her surprise, the Stark pad showed one missed call and a new caller, both from the same person. She almost smirked after recognizing the caller in question.

"You called?" she asked after swiping the pad to answer.

The person on the other line just frowned as he noticed her expression. Try as she might, it was impossible to keep a straight face around Tony when he was looking at her like that.

 _I knew he couldn't leave me alone for too long_ , she thought after recalling their previous conversation. He wasn't happy with her decision to stay behind and help Steve. The worst part was, he wasn't afraid to say it.

"Yeah, with the Tower finally under construction, Peps and I were talking about having Thanksgiving down there," he explained.

Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise at that.

Tony rarely had Thanksgiving dinner or celebrated the holiday. It was usually Pepper who managed to get everyone together and cook a meal for them with her help. Not that she didn't mind helping. Those were the few rare times they spent together when they weren't talking about work or when Pepper wasn't stressed about running the company. Ada found herself appreciating those rare moments, especially since she knew how stressful it could be for Pepper to manage both the company and Tony all at once.

"Not that I don't like hearing the sound of your voice at 5:30 in the morning, but why are you telling me this?" she asked, eyeing Tony suspiciously.

She knew he had his motives. One of the many irritating qualities about Tony was the fact that he tried spying on her even when he failed miserably at being discrete. The only reason he wasn't able to find out that she'd joined SHIELD for as long as he did was because they had security protocols. Protocols that kept even Tony out of her work life.

"Is it that early?" Tony rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, though she could tell he was just stalling at that point. "Okay, I really, really hate the fact that you've been spending so much time with Rogers. And it's not just because I don't like the guy."

That was enough for Ada to nearly snort with laughter.

 _Is he seriously complaining about the fact that I'm spending time with someone_? she wondered.

"I think you've made it perfectly clear that you don't like him, dad," she pointed out with a roll of her eyes. She stopped for a moment, hardly missing the fact that he was down in his lab working on what looked like a new suit in the background, "And, just so we're clear, we are _not_ dating."

Tony just looked at her skeptically. By now, his arms were crossed as he turned from the suit he was working on so that he was now facing her.

"Really? Because, that's not what the media's been implying," he retorted.

Ada had to bite back a snippy response when he moved to the side, just as a video appeared on the edge of the screen. Her eyes narrowed when she realized that it was a news broadcast from the Daily Bugle; a media company from New York run by a loud, obnoxious man known as J Jonah Jameson.

"And that's not the only juicy details we've had over the last couple of days," a woman with platinum blond hair and overly obnoxious makeup reported. The look of pride written across her face as she gave a 'detailed' account of how they'd gotten photos and information was enough to make Ada's stomach twist in disgust, "We've heard reports and rumors that Captain America and Miss Ada Stark are now dating. They've been seen together in Central Park and one of the many cafes in the city, along with at the library."

"Son of a bitch," Ada swore under her breath after realizing too late what they were insinuating. "Dad, you know none of what they're saying is true."

Tony smirked at her response, obviously not buying the excuse as he looked at her defiantly, "According to those stories, it doesn't seem that way to me."

 _Of all the irritating things he has to say, why is it this_? She groaned silently, suddenly wishing a hole would open up and swallow her.

"Dad, we're not dating… Steve's too much of a…" Ada chewed the bottom of her lip, unsure of how to explain the reason behind their lack of willingness to take things the next step, "He's too much of a gentleman."

If it wasn't for the fact that Tony wasn't actually there in person, she would have wrung his neck when he suddenly burst out laughing. As it was, her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink out of sheer embarrassment at the sound of his laughter.

"More like he's too chicken to ask," he finally caught his breath after doubling over with laughter. By now, Ada was struggling not to suddenly end the call right then and there. "Talk to any reporter, give them the real scoop. Hopefully, you can get this mess cleared up before things go too far."

Ada let out a sigh of frustration, knowing full-well that things couldn't have gotten anymore awkward than they already were.

Once the video screen went dark, she set the Stark pad to the side of her bed and sat down, already debating what to do. They needed to get things sorted out. She knew that they would take the news too seriously and make life ten times worse for the both of them.

…

"The media made a mess out of this," she sighed irritably as she jabbed a fork at her salad.

Steve just mumbled in agreement, though she caught him moving slightly at the mention of what had recently happened.

It had taken a bit of convincing on her part, but, she finally managed to convince him to meet at one of the diners for lunch. They were lucky not to run into any reporters or any citizens demanding answers. The last thing either of them wanted or needed was the added attention the media seemed to be giving them.

"They always used to make up stories about Captain America during the war," Steve explained while watching the ice in his glass of water melt, "I didn't think that would continue in this century."

"Welcome to the twenty-first-century," she snorted in grim amusement. The Super Soldier threw her an incredulous look, though he didn't bother arguing. If they wanted to do something about it, they needed to act quickly before things got too out of hand, "Look, I know this is probably the last thing you wanted, or needed, but… we need to find some way of convincing them that none of their claims are true."

Not for the first time, Steve found himself glancing at Ada self-consciously. Though he knew she had a valid reason for wanting to fix the mess the media had created, a small part of him wanted a different path. Try as he might, he couldn't avoid the fact that he had feelings for her.

"Tony doesn't think we're together, does he?" he suddenly asked, feeling uneasy with the thought.

After seeing the way her father acted, he had no doubt Tony wouldn't react kindly to the idea of them 'dating'.

"Oh, he tried claiming that the stories were true," she nearly rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day, "As much as I love him, it drives me crazy when he gets this way."

She jabbed her fork into another piece of lettuce, this time harder than she intended. She flinched from the sudden motion, knowing that taking her anger out on food wasn't the answer. She couldn't necessarily blame Tony for letting this get out of hand. After what had happened with Emmett, he was wary of her dating anyone without him running a full background check on them. And for the first few months of his new rule, she had approved.

It wasn't until feeling Steve's gaze boring into her that she noticed he was watching her thoughtfully. She looked at him warily, not missing the fact that he nearly flinched under her curious gaze.

"You should consider yourself lucky… he seems like a good father," he started, almost biting his tongue when she narrowed her eyes.

"Of course, he's a good father," she retorted. He braced himself for whatever rebuking would follow, but instead, the tone of her voice was full of amusement, "I couldn't ask for a better father, as much of a pain in the ass as he can be."

He almost laughed at that.

"I uh, have to ask, though… are you opposed to what they're saying?" he finally found the courage to ask.

Ada blinked in surprise at his random question. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, suddenly aware of the fact that they were still out in the public. Any signs of intimacy or affection wouldn't go by unnoticed by the people watching them.

"I wouldn't say I don't oppose their claims," she replied with a shrug, her voice barely a whisper. Steve's brow shot up faster than he thought possible, and it was at that point when she finally noticed his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. She could feel her own cheeks growing warm with embarrassment as she finally looked away, hoping to hide the blush that likely followed, "But, it doesn't mean they are true."

By now, neither of them were sure what to say as they refused to make eye contact.

The realization of what Steve just asked her left her mind reeling with shock, and confusion.

"Yeah, of course," he nodded in agreement, letting his shoulders sag in relief, "Wouldn't want things any different."

…

The next few weeks seemed to blend in together.

Ada knew that she and Steve were now avoiding each other in the attempt of keeping the media from getting suspicious. Or worse, her father. The last thing she wanted or needed was to deal with his annoying tenacity to figure out something was going on.

The good news was, the Tower was almost finished with construction over those next few weeks. Tony had already made plans to stop by with Pepper, Happy and even Rhodes to meet with her after the Tower was finished for Thanksgiving dinner. He'd asked Banner to tag along with him, despite the doctor's protests, and eventually Banner finally agreed to go as long as there was as minimal stress as possible. As if that wouldn't make things anymore awkward than they already were, she'd already made plans in asking Steve if he wanted to join them.

It wasn't as if either of them would have anything better to do. Plus, it was a good way to get the team somewhat together. She didn't know what Natasha or Clint were up to during their 'vacation', though she'd overheard Jimmy mentioning Clint spending time at the 'safehouse'.

Shaking her head at the thought, she made her way out of the apartment and down to the cafe for a drink and to relax.

Since she and Steve were avoiding one another, this had become part of her morning routine. She knew it was just an excuse to get out of the apartment, but, it was better than nothing. Besides, it gave her a chance to scope out any reporters in the area and tell them the truth.

 _Anything is better than them believing we're dating_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes.

She wasn't even sure why it had become such a big issue, or a popular topic. True, the media had always focused on her because Tony was her father. But, they never made a big deal when Tony found out she was dating Emmett.

Ada winced mentally at the thought of Emmett.

It had been months since she last thought of him. The thought of him only brought back painful memories of their breakup, and the realization that he'd been spying on her. She knew it wasn't fair to blame him for that, especially since she worked for SHIELD. But, the fact that his father worked for the Black Knights only made it that much worse.

She tried pushing the thoughts aside once she reached the cafe. Thinking about it wasn't going to help. She'd spent the last three years focusing on her training rather than the real issue at hand because of it. Though she only told Steve bits and pieces of what had happened, she kept out the worst of what had happened.

Of course, any thoughts dissipated when she reached the counter to place an order in. She hadn't missed how crowded the cafe was, or the fact that one woman in particular kept looking in her direction. Ada narrowed her eyes when she recognized the woman as the same reporter who first started the rumors.

"Excuse me," the woman started after gathering the courage to speak with her. Ada bit back a sigh of frustration as the woman reached her, holding a pen in one hand, and a notebook in the other, "I was wondering if I could have an interview regarding your relationship with Captain America?"

"That depends on whether you plan on entertaining the public with lies, or the truth," she retorted.

It took everything she had not to snap at the reporter, whose eyes widened in surprise at her short-tempered response. The woman finally dropped her gaze and looked down at the floor, almost as if she was ashamed of what had happened.

"As a professional journalist, it's my job to gather the facts before I expose them to the public," she explained. Ada rose an eyebrow at that, and was tempted to tell her that she was doing a lousy job at that before she continued, "Jameson was the one who insisted we post that video. After all, it's all about the views."

Ada eyed the woman skeptically, wondering whether she was telling the truth or not. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this was just another excuse to get whatever story was needed for the next big scoop. Though, she realized with a start that this might be what they had been hoping for. A chance to explain themselves and prove that the media had been wrong.

"Alright, you've got two questions," she replied after grabbing her order and leaving a tip at the counter.

The woman beamed at that before leading the way to a table where they could sit and talk. She'd already pulled out a recorder so that she wouldn't miss anything important. Once they took their seats, she got right down to business, "Are you and Captain Rogers really dating?"

"First off, we're not dating," she nearly scoffed at the idea, as appealing as it sounded. She and Steve were purely friends, and she doubted that would change anytime soon, "Second off, I was assigned to help him adjust to life in the twenty-first century. He comes from a time when technology wasn't so advanced, and I've been teaching him how to use modern technology."

That seemed to catch the woman's attention. Most people knew these days that Steve had been frozen in ice for the last hundred years. Because of that, he'd had a huge taste of culture shock upon waking up. Between that and having come from a time when the world was at war, she didn't doubt that the change was overwhelming for him.

"So, what you're saying is, there's nothing serious going on between the two of you?" the woman concluded after jotting notes into her notepad.

"Of course, not." Ada refused to look back as she studied nothing in particular. Try as she might, she couldn't ignore what was said between them weeks ago. Steve was a good friend, and she didn't want that to change between them. "Look, we're just friends. And, that's all we'll ever be."

"Well, it seems to me that there's more going on than you're implying," the woman said with a charming smile. She finished writing notes on her notepad before putting it into her large purse, "But, I do need to thank you for this information."

Ada merely returned the gesture, still wondering if the interview had been worth it as the woman stood up to leave. Kind as she had been, she knew the media would likely try and reword everything that was said. The only thing she could hope for was that the truth would be shared, and that their lives could finally go back to normal.

* * *

 **AN: I ended up getting the Blue Planet II soundtrack on a whim, even if the series hasn't premiered yet. Am I the only one who's stoked for this? Planet Earth II was about as amazing as I expected, if not better, and now they're making a sequel to Blue Planet, which was by far my favorite BBC series. (In case you haven't guessed yet, I love the natural world) At any rate, this chapter ended up being longer than expected. I've decided instead of posting right away, I'll keep editing until I feel the chapters are up to standard quality (or what I feel are my standards). Thanks again to Softballpup12 for reviewing!**

 **Softballpup12 - XD That's good to hear, because there's more on the way, at least until I get to IM3 :) They can indeed ;)**


	39. Chapter Thirty Nine

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

" _Say it like you mean it, But I still don't believe it Oh my soul, wonder where'd you go? It never did feel like my control I never could fit in microphones, I never could fit in stop and stand ovations Give me the songs of the nation, Cause it feels like law lacks motivation See, I'm still looking for a correlation, Between what you say and how you roll Spit it out, Like you mean it Spit it out..._ " - Say It Like You Mean It, Switchfoot

* * *

" _The Daily Bugle would like to formally apologize for sending out false reports on the daily lives of Captain America and Miss Ada Stark. We have received information from both parties that they are not dating. Miss Stark was asked to help Captain Rogers adjust to life in the twenty-first century_ …"

Ada nearly rolled her eyes as Tony shut off the news station and turned it to one of the sports channels.

Any chance of talking about the last five weeks was out of the question. He was already annoyed enough that the media tried taking things into their own hands. Though, she couldn't necessarily blame him for being so annoyed.

It had taken a good week for the reporter she spoke with to convince Jameson otherwise. After finally managing to put some sense in his head, Jameson put out a new report regarding their lives. One that Ada was more than relieved with. She hadn't wanted the world to find out that she and Steve had been working together in the first place. She knew that because of who they were, the media would give them extra attention. The problem was, she hated being placed on the limelight. And after his tour in Europe, Steve felt the same way.

"At least someone finally had enough sense to tell the truth," Tony grumbled as he looked towards the window to see the building crowd.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was all people were talking about now. With Thanksgiving in full swing, Ada had been helping Pepper in the kitchen for most of the morning while Tony sat with Rhodes and Happy discussing how 'awesome' the newly refurbished Tower looked. It really did look amazing after it was fully completed. The landing pad had been updated to allow a quinjet to land on top, with a fully designed lab decorating two floors. The rest of the Tower was used mostly for show, but Tony had offices and rooms for the team if they chose to stay.

"Ignore him," Pepper reassured her with a knowing look. She of all people knew what Tony was like when it came to being overprotective. Ada had to admit, she was grateful Pepper always seemed to take her side when it came to life decisions. "He's just mad that he didn't get to stick around and see the construction himself."

"Not mad, just annoyed I didn't get to see the engineering in person," Tony called over his shoulder.

Ada couldn't hide the smirk that followed as Banner joined them moments later. Since Tony had promised a stress-free environment for Banner, the doctor had finally agreed to join them for Thanksgiving. Seeing him again made her wonder how long he would stick around this time. Banner wasn't the type of person who enjoyed sticking around for long. Because of his 'condition', he was always afraid of allowing the Hulk to unleash himself on the city, and Ada couldn't blame him for being so worried.

 _He has better control than he realizes_ , she silently reminded herself. The Hulk hadn't caused the majority of damage caused throughout the city. While he had leaped from building to building and caused a few windows to shatter in the process, he'd left most of the damage to the Chitauri.

"I'm past ignoring him, at this point," Ada muttered as she checked on the gravy. Pepper was already taking care of the turkey, making sure that it was cooked just right, while Ada took care of the rest. Mashed potatoes, gravy and even the stuffing was all included on the menu, "By now, I've learned to tune him out when he gets like this."

Pepper laughed at that, while she caught Tony scowling in annoyance.

"By the way, what exactly did happen between you and Steve that got the media so riled up?" Pepper asked once Tony got distracted.

She chewed the bottom of her lip and looked away, feeling a combination of embarrassment and guilt. Though, it was mostly embarrassment. There were times when she often found herself wondering if she would ever get over that embarrassment. After all, Steve was a friend. She doubted they would ever be anything more than that, especially as she thought of how awkward it would be if they ever messed up.

"We may or may not have made an agreement to get to know one another better," she admitted, dropping her voice enough that Tony wouldn't hear. She had no doubt he had Jarvis recording everything they were saying. Tony was the kind of person who would go to such extremes just to irritate her and prove himself right. "I almost forgot how persistent they could be."

Pepper gave a slight nod of understanding, having already seen what the media was like with Tony. On more than one occasion, both she and Rhodes had to work together to fix whatever mess he made of himself with the media. Ada had seen for herself the messes that Tony often got himself into when it came to the press. He was lucky that Pepper always seemed to find a way of fixing said mess. Rhodes usually had to work twice as hard when the military was involved.

"So, I'm guessing this was more than just a false claim by the media?"

Ada froze at the look Pepper was giving her. Though there was no accusation in her tone, but she could see it written across her face. She bit back a sigh of frustration and finally met her questioning gaze, fully aware that the wrong answer could lead to assumptions.

"I wouldn't necessarily say it's a false claim, but…" Ada paused, chewing the bottom of her lip as doubt clouded her thoughts. The last thing she wanted was to make things anymore awkward between herself and Steve than they already were. "I don't know what to say."

"Sweetie…" Pepper's eyes widened as she finally understood it was more than just trying to get the media off her back.

"I'm not ready for the next step, and frankly, I don't think Steve is either," she sighed as their eyes met, "I'm not going to push him into an uncomfortable position, especially with dad being so… _him_."

Besides, she wasn't even sure if Steve liked her that way. Sometimes it was better not to push her luck. She glanced over her shoulder, not missing the fact that Tony and Banner were deep in some kind of conversation while Rhodes and Happy watched the parade from the balcony.

"I know," Pepper sighed, fully aware that whatever was happening between them should have been resolved sooner, rather than later, "Look, if you ever need someone to talk to about it, don't be afraid to ask me. I know how overprotective Tony can get."

She simply offered a small smile at that. Despite the crap Tony put her through, she knew he had his reasons. As much as he would refuse to admit it, he didn't want to see her growing up. Life was changing on them, constantly. And, she suspected he needed to accept that sooner or later.

…

The penthouse was decorated with all sorts of decorations that Ada and Pepper were able to find at the last minute. Orange, gold and green leaves were laced along the counters and whatever columns filled the room. Even Tony added his own flair to the mix, by purchasing a giant inflatable turkey that held up a sign saying, ' _Eat Me_!'.

By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh at all the memes and posts that were put on the Internet as she walked down to the main lobby. Quite a few bystanders had spotted the turkey that was put on the roof as a gag in the spirit of Thanksgiving. And, it seemed like the public enjoyed the joke.

It wasn't until she reached the lobby that Ada stopped in her tracks and noticed the Avenger's memorabilia scattered around. Tony had the main lobby open to the public during weekdays, allowing visitors to see what the Tower looked like before and after the construction. Though, the main part of it was the memorial he'd set up in honor of the lives that were lost during the battle.

A lump formed in the back of her throat as she spotted one picture in particular among the hundreds of others.

For the first time since their time spent in the shawarma joint, Ada felt her stomach twist in a knot when she spotted Coulson's picture. The guilt from earlier returned ten-fold. She knew that she shouldn't have blamed herself for something she had no control over. Yet, it felt as if Coulson's death was on her hands. She had pushed him out of the way before Loki could stab him. In the end, her sacrifice hadn't meant anything.

"He was a good person." Ada froze at the sound of Steve's voice. She glanced over her shoulder, hardly aware that he'd finally arrived and closed the distance between them, "I wish I could have known him better."

"He always believed in second chances," she murmured thoughtfully. She couldn't help but stare at the photo as she recalled the many times Coulson had helped her during her training. "Sometimes it feels like he's always been there for me."

There were plenty of reasons to admire Coulson for everything he did. He had refused to take her on as an SO when she first joined the agency. At the time, Ada never understood why. Coulson was a good friend, and someone she knew she could rely on when she had a question or two. But he'd also gotten too close, and she had a feeling that was part of the reason why Fury had chosen Maria as her SO.

"I saw the report they made on the news."

She stiffened when he brought that up. Once again, she chewed the bottom of her lip and refused to look at him.

"Well, the good news is, the media won't be bothering us anytime soon," she sighed, flinching when she felt his gaze boring through her. "I'm glad you were able to make it, though. I wasn't sure if you would, given the circumstances."

"Yeah, me too," he nodded in agreement. Though he would never admit it out loud, he was being honest. He was surprised she'd invited him at all, given the circumstances of how quickly the media tried making a mess out of their lives. "So, I take it Tony wasn't too thrilled that I was invited?"

Ada almost smirked as she recalled Tony's reaction to when she'd told him about inviting a friend. He'd been less than happy about it, especially when he found out through Jarvis who she invited. But, he wasn't going to argue with the fact that this was the first real Thanksgiving they would have together in the newly completed Tower.

"A bit unhappy, but I managed to wind him down for the day," she reassured him with a small smile.

With that thought in mind, she led the way up the stairs to where the rest of the group was waiting. Despite the elevators being in operation, she preferred using the stairs. Luckily, Steve wasn't opposed to the idea. A bit of exercise went a long way considering how much they would be eating later that night.

"Would you be opposed to the idea of actually… dating?" Ada just stared at Steve as if he'd grown wings.

The question came so suddenly as they jogged up the stairs that she wasn't expecting it. For a moment, she wasn't sure what to say as she realized too late he was expecting an answer.

"I've never really considered it," she admitted, suddenly feeling sheepish as she looked away.

 _Where did that come from_? she wondered. For one thing, she knew Tony would freak if he found out. For another, she wasn't sure if she was ready for that step. Ever since the whole incident with Emmett, she had been pushing off the idea of dating over the fear of something similar happening.

"Why bring it up?" she asked curiously.

By now, they fell in beside each other and took their time climbing the stairs. She knew Tony would question why it was taking so long to get to the penthouse, but at that point, she wanted nothing more than to understand the reason behind Steve's random question.

"I was just curious."

Though it was said so quickly that she couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, she hadn't missed the disappointment flashing across his eyes. Ada couldn't help but frown as she finally looked at him warily.

"I'm sorry… It's just, I haven't exactly tried dating anyone since my last date ended so miserably," she finally murmured.

She had to admit, she did feel guilty for leaving him in the dark. What had happened with Emmett and the Black Knight was just another painful reminder of how vulnerable she really was.

Steve suddenly stopped in his tracks, and it took Ada a few seconds to register that he did, "Ada, you know I wouldn't ever do that to you."

"I know," she let out a heavy sigh as her eyes met his. They were so sincere and full of compassion. "And as much as I hate to admit it, I do admire that out of you." She paused, looking away as she thought of everything that could happen. "I'm just not ready for that step, and I'd rather not see Tony try and kick your ass if he ever found out."

To her relief, that seemed to do the trick. Though she would never admit it out loud, she did want to know what it was like dating him. Yet, thoughts of how Tony would react and how the rest of the world would react only discouraged her.

Luckily, Steve finally dropped the subject.

It wasn't until they finally reached the penthouse that Ada's shoulders dropped upon seeing the accusing look Tony was giving them. He of all people had seen just how close they were getting during their time together, and his suspicions were only justified after spotting them arrive at the same time.

"Just what were you two talking about that took so long to get here?" he demanded once Steve gave a stiff nod and joined Banner and Rhodes.

The heat that rose to his cheeks only made it that much more obvious, and it took everything Ada had not to spit something in response.

"Relax, dad," she rolled her eyes instead and crossed her arms, "We were just talking as we went up the stairs instead of the elevator."

"Something maybe you should consider doing, Tony," Pepper called over her shoulder.

Ada almost laughed at the scowl that followed. Pepper of all people understood when they needed some alone time, and one wink was all it took for Ada to realize that she had already guessed what they were talking about.

"Just make sure you keep your distance from her, Rogers," Tony snapped after pouting for just a moment.

 _Some things never end_ , Ada thought with another roll of her eyes.

She was hardly surprised with Tony's reaction, or his childlike behavior. Needless to say, she was becoming more aware of the fact that something needed to be said and done regarding her time spent with Steve. As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't keep hiding the feelings that were beginning to grow stronger with each passing day. One look in his direction told her that he was thinking the same thing, and the longer it took for them to reach the same conclusion, the more difficult their lives were going to get.

* * *

 **AN: I apologize in advance for the shortness of this chapter. I was trying to make it longer and expand from it, but, I couldn't figure out where to go with it or how to end it. So, this is kind of my idea of a Thanksgiving special (even though it's kind of late XD), but, to anyone who was hoping for some fast-pace romance between Steve and Ada, unfortunately, that's not gonna happen :P I do prefer some slow burn, and I'll be delving deeper into their relationship when we reach the Winter Soldier saga, especially when Sharon moves into the picture. So, a big thanks to Softballpup12 for reviewing! I love hearing your feedback; it always makes my day :D**

 **Softballpup12 - Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much :)**


	40. Part Four, Chapter Forty

**Chapter Forty**

" _We create our own demons. Who said that? What does that even mean? Doesn't matter, I said it cause he said it. So now he was famous and that's basically get said by two well known guys. I don't, uh… I'm gonna start again. Let's track this from the beginning_ …"

December 2013.

The holiday season had become one of Ada's favorite times of the year. Though it was often seen as hectic and sometimes chaotic in most places, she loved seeing all of the Christmas lights, the music, and everything about it. Snow in Malibu, California was a rare occurrence, and so when it happened in New York before Ada returned home, she'd nearly acted like a kid in the candy shop. The looks on everyone's faces when she reacted to it was priceless, especially when Tony managed to get a picture of it.

"Yep; that's going on a holiday card," he'd said cheerfully after she threw a snowball at him.

At the time, Ada hadn't thought much of it. But when she looked back at it, she realized how happy her life had been. While it might not have been the most perfect life, it was certainly better than living in the orphanage where she would have likely grown up.

With the holidays in full-swing, Ada somehow found herself sitting in a wheelie chair as she waited for Director Fury's latest comments on her progress. After receiving a call from the Director just weeks before Christmas, Ada had been slightly miffed. Though she knew it was part of the job title, she'd promised Pepper that they would meet up later and go shopping for Christmas presents. They hadn't gotten the chance to do so since she'd been busy with SHIELD.

"You've been doing well with Captain Rogers," he remarked after reading the notes left by Natasha. With Clint busy doing whatever it was he did, Natasha was the one keeping an eye on Ada's progress with Steve. Not that she didn't mind. She found herself enjoying Natasha's company more often than not, especially with Pepper being busier than usual with her position as the CEO of Stark Industries. "Seems the press had a little field day with the two of you."

"It was nothing we couldn't handle," she nearly rolled her eyes at that.

The press did try to make it seem as if they were seeing each other. As tempting of an offer as that sounded, Ada knew it wasn't possible. She and Steve were in different places in their lives, and frankly, she wasn't in any hurry to start a new relationship. Not after the last one ended so badly. A shiver swept through her as memories of said relationship suddenly came rushing back. She knew that it hadn't necessarily been her fault, but she did blame herself for not looking further into Emmett's history and what his father had been doing.

Despite her lack of willingness to start a relationship, that hadn't stopped them from deciding to keep in touch with each other. They'd at least reached an agreement to call one another at least once a week, so long as Tony wasn't aware. The last thing Ada wanted was for him finding out that anything was going on. He was already on edge as it was after the press tried making a mess out of their lives. She wasn't in the mood to deal with his overprotective nature.

"Nonetheless, Romanoff was thoroughly impressed with your progress… you should know that it's almost impossible to impress her," he put in after setting the files to the side.

"She's made that perfectly clear during our sparring sessions." She had to admit, Natasha was one of the few agents who rarely held back during sparring sessions. Ada had the scars to prove it. Their line of work meant that they had to tough it out, no matter the circumstances. While Tony wasn't happy with the realization that she was receiving 'rough treatment' from her training, even he couldn't argue with the results. "But, I'm going on the hunch that her progress reports aren't the only reason you've called me here."

Fury pressed his lips together in a thin line as he leaned against the back of his seat. She may not have entirely trusted his intentions of letting her join SHIELD, but that didn't mean she wasn't paying attention. Fury only ever called her in when they found something that posed a threat, to either her or someone she cared about.

"We've been keeping track on an enemy that calls themselves the 'Mandarin'," he explained. That caught her attention. Ada leaned forward when Fury stood up and reached for another manila folder, this one smaller than the others, "He's a newer enemy, one that we've been trying to locate for the last couple of weeks. Seems each time we manage to find a signal, it wears off."

Ada frowned as she studied the files carefully. They had one picture of him. A man who looked to be in his early thirties, dressed like one of the terrorists from the Middle East, stared back at her. A shiver swept through her. She knew that Tony had run into terrorists similar to this man, and they were the same people responsible for the arch reactor in his chest. What bothered her more than anything was that he posed a threat, and said threat hadn't been made public.

"Any idea where he came from?" she asked curiously.

"Afraid not. We're keeping an eye on him, for the time being," Fury replied. Ada rose an eyebrow as she tossed the file back, all-too-aware that the 'Mandarin' was just one of the many threats that SHIELD kept from the public. "For now, I want you to keep an eye on your father."

She almost laughed at that, "Since when did I become my father's babysitter?"

"He might know a thing or two about the Mandarin," he snapped, narrowing his eye when she crossed her arms and looked back defiantly, "Besides, he already knows Romanoff and Barton. He trusts you."

 _So, you're asking me to play with his emotions_ , she realized.

She narrowed her eyes at the thought. The last thing she wanted was to break whatever trust they had. She knew SHIELD was the last organization he trusted, and that was for a good reason. She had quickly learned that Howard Stark worked for SHIELD, and that he was one of the founders. Since Howard hadn't told Tony most of the truth about his role in the agency, Tony never trusted it. And Ada found herself understanding why he didn't fully trust the agency in question.

"Sounds like a fun way to spend my Christmas," she muttered under her breath.

Fury only rolled his eye before handing her the file to take with her. She did just that, already aware that he wanted her to work during the holidays. Though, that notion didn't entirely surprise her. About the only thing she was grateful for was that Fury hadn't sent her across the country during the holidays.

…

"What the hell, dad?" Ada demanded when she reached the lab.

Christmas music was blasting in the background. Tony just looked at her sheepishly as he revealed the fresh nicks on his arm. With blood staining the floor, Ada soon realized that he had been working on the project that had been in the planning phase for what felt like years.

She knew Tony had been working on a suit design that could be called upon with a signal sent by nano-tech in his bloodstream. While Ada didn't approve of the idea, she knew this was just another distraction from real life. He'd tried supplying that the idea was meant to make it easier to call the suit if there was ever danger close by. Ada was aware that the tech was still new and dicey to work with, so she wasn't surprised that Tony hadn't informed Pepper of his plan.

"I figured you'd be happy with me working on new projects, given how much you enjoy helping me out with them," he quipped nonchalantly.

"While I do enjoy watching you get your ass kicked by your own robots, I don't enjoy seeing you hurt yourself," she retorted.

Tony just snorted at the mention of getting his ass kicked. She still had the video of Dummy nearly knocking him out the one time he tried sparring with the robotic arm. The whole thing had been hilarious, especially since Tony didn't even remember what had happened at the time. He had been drunk at the time, and Ada had taken full advantage of his antics. When he saw the recording the morning after, he'd been annoyed with her for weeks after until she promised not to post it online.

"I've been working on the new suit," he explained after cleaning the worst of his injuries. "Dummy. Hi, Dummy. How'd you get that cap on your head? You earned it." Ada tried not to laugh when he pointed from Dummy to the blood-stained mat. Tony was always harder on his robots than he needed to be; today happened to be one of those days as Dummy now fashioned a 'Dunce' hat, "Hey. Hey! What are you doing round in the corner? You know what you did. Blood on my mat, handle it."

"What did Dummy ever do to you, dad?" Ada snorted in amusement as she reached for a paper towel.

"Don't do his work for him," Tony protested, "It's gonna make him feel useless."

Not for the first time, Ada wanted to point out that he was a robot, and therefore didn't feel anything. Instead, she ignored him and cleaned up the mess, realizing that if Pepper saw it, she'd freak. She was annoyed enough with how Tony had been locking himself in the lab more often than usual. Ada wasn't surprised with Pepper's annoyance, especially with the holidays approaching.

 _This is supposed to be the one time where we all get together_ , she reminded herself.

"Dad, how long has it been since you've had any decent sleep?" she added after noticing his eyes looked slightly bloodshot.

Tony threw her an incredulous look, though he gave no answer.

"Mr. Stark has been awake for nearly seventy-two hours," Jarvis answered for him.

Tony just mumbled something under his breath, only indicating to the fact that he was clearly doing something wrong. That was enough for her to glare at him. She would have thought after nearly dying, he would have learned his lesson. Instead, he was only making things worse by neglecting whatever necessary sleep he needed.

But, she also knew how stubborn he could be. Even if there was a problem, Tony would be the last person to admit it until it was too late. It was one of the many infuriating qualities of Tony that irritated her to no end.

"Are you out of your damn mind, dad?" she snapped, narrowing her eyes when Tony just shrugged, "Do you know how unhealthy that is?"

"One, you're not my doctor, and two, my lab, my rules," he retorted without missing a beat.

Ada crossed her arms in annoyance. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering why she bothered trying to look out for him. Because, she knew that even with Jarvis, Pepper or Happy, he'd likely be a mess on his own.

He walked over to where Dummy was, muttering a few things under his breath as he reached one of the cameras. Ada leaned against a work table and held back a sigh of frustration. She knew he was using the suits as a distraction, but, she didn't know what the distraction was for.

"Focus up, ladies. Good evening, and welcome to the birthing suit. I'm pleased to announce the imminent arrival of your bouncing, bad-ass, baby brother." He turned to face the camera once again. "Start Titan and go wide, stamp in time." Then he turned towards her with the slightest of smirks. "Mark 42 autonomous prehensile propulsion suit test. Initialize sequence." She rolled her eyes as the suit powered on, and Tony clasped his hands together in anticipation, "Jarvis, drop my needle."

Seconds later, and music started playing from the old record player he'd fixed a few years ago. Ada watched from a distance, knowing that he had had a few videos from the very first test-runs of the Iron Man suit, when it was in the early stages. She had been there for good measure to see what sort of project he was working on at the time. Ada almost smirked when she recalled how many times he had failed miserably trying to get the suit functioning properly. Tony was the one who insisted that practice made perfect. She had quickly learned that he was right about that. Her own powers were definitive proof that practice did make perfect.

Tony let out a huff of frustration as he held out his hands, as if expecting something to happen. The nano-tech that was supposed to act like a homing signal didn't seem to be working. Ada rose an eyebrow at that. A few people at Stark Industries had been working on said nano-technology, but none of them ever came close to accomplishing their goals. Pepper was always keeping tabs on the technological advances made at the company. If anyone did ever come across such technology, Tony would be the first to hear about it through his CEO.

He finally dropped his arms and glared at his hand, though Ada moved to the side just as she heard something whirring in the distance. The familiar sound of machinery whirring to life was a sure-sign that the nano-tech was working. It was just a little slower than Tony anticipated. Ada suddenly pulled out her phone and hit the 'record' button when she realized this wasn't going to go the way he'd planned. She knew Jarvis would record the whole thing, but she wanted video footage for herself.

Her smirk widened when Tony muttered 'crap' under his breath after realizing too late what was about to happen. He'd bit his arm, hoping to get one of the sensors to work. Though the machinery was functioning properly, it didn't seem as if the signals were working properly. Ada almost laughed at the sight. Hurting himself wasn't always the right answer, but she did find it hilarious that he had to resort to such lengths just to get the machinery working.

He pointed his arms to the table once again in the attempt of calling them. Ada moved out of the way just in time as a piece of machinery came flying in her direction. One of the metal pieces reached his hand, latching on within seconds. The glove stretched out until his arm was covered up to his elbow. Soon the other pieces started flying towards him, until the rest of his left arm was covered. He turned towards the table and the other piece flew off to cover his left hand, causing him to laugh in response.

"Alright, time to slow it down," Tony started after struggling to catch his breath.

By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh when one of the pieces careened past him and into one of the display cases behind him, causing the glass to shatter everywhere. The impact of the piece managed to knock off the head of the suit, and it wasn't long before chaos soon followed.

"I am so recording this," she warned him when he saw that her phone was out and recording the whole scene.

"No, you're not!" Tony protested, though, he didn't have much of a chance in that as more pieces came flying at him. Ada was choking back a fit of laughter as he glared at her, and just when he was about to blast the phone out of her hand, she moved to the side to avoid it. "You are not sending that to any of your SHIELD buddies, or Rogers!"

"Don't worry about it, dad," she replied with a cheeky grin, "I'm just sending it to Clint."

She knew the archer would get a kick out of seeing Tony's ass getting kicked by his own suit. Tony just rolled his eyes when he realized there was no reasoning with her. Even if it was just sent to Clint, he would more than likely post the video on some website, and it would go viral within seconds because the 'victim' happened to be Tony.

Tony knelt over in pain as one of the metal pieces smacked him right in the crotch. Finally, Ada couldn't hold back the fit of laughter that followed as he doubled over in pain. Another piece flew to his back just as he tried standing up, only to fall over once more as the piece latched itself around him.

"You enjoy watching the old man get his ass kicked?" he groaned after asking Jarvis to cool it down.

"Only when he deserves it, and when it offers me the perfect blackmail for when I need him." The scowl that followed was priceless.

The final piece finally came rushing in, only to crash into the record player, leaving the room in silence. Once it recovered from the impact, the faceplate powered up again and hovered in front of Tony, almost as if it was anticipating his next move.

"Come on, I ain't afraid of you!" Tony goaded it on, flexing his fingers as if that would make it move any faster. The plate suddenly moved forward, hitting the table once again and fixing itself in the right position so that it fit on his face. Tony decided at that moment to jump in the air and perform a back flip with his thrusters, catching the faceplate in midair. He landed on the ground and slammed his fist into the floor before looking back at me with what Ada assumed was his signature smirk. "I'm the best."

"There are those who would argue with that statement," Ada muttered under her breath.

Though, she had to admit that when it came to designing suits and new technology, Tony had just about everyone beat. His ego was already large enough, though, and she wasn't in any hurry to say that out loud.

His moment of triumph was short-lived, though, when another piece of armor came flying into the lab. The piece managed to crash into his butt, causing him to fall flat on his face seconds later. Within seconds, the suit dispersed along the floor in various pieces, leaving a mess for both Dummy and Ada to clean up later on. Ada couldn't hide the cheeky grin that followed, though. She had to admit, she loved Jarvis' sense of humor, especially when it came to teasing Tony, on a constant basis.

"As always, sir, a pleasure working with you."

That was enough for Ada to laugh even harder, if that was possible. Her stomach was beginning to cramp from the laughter, and it only got worse when she saw Tony's face. Even he couldn't keep a straight face for long as he noticed how contagious her laughter was.

"I thought you and Peps had a 'shopping day' planned for today?" he asked after they both recovered, and they caught their breaths.

"Something last minute came up at work, and she had to stay for the afternoon," she replied with a shrug. Tony rose an eyebrow as they sat down to relax for a little. "I figured I'd stop by and see what you've been working on."

"Well, you got a small look at the future," he informed her, "I've been working on suits that can operate without me physically controlling them. Jarvis can run the most basic commands on the suits, though I'm still the main operator of them."

Ada couldn't help but frown as she realized what he meant by that. He had been acting different ever since the battle of Manhattan. The suits and everything else had just been a distraction from the reality of what had happened, yet, Ada could see that something else was clearly bothering him.

"So, what's this I hear about you not getting enough sleep?" she added warily, knowing he wouldn't likely give her an honest answer.

At least, not without some coaxing.

"Nothing important." Ada narrowed her eyes as she caught the warning look he threw her. "We're leaving it at that."

 _The hell you are_ , she retorted silently when he left before the argument could continue.

Something was bothering Tony. And, whether he wanted to admit it or not, she knew he needed help. It was just a matter of figuring out what that something was, before it was too late.


	41. Chapter Forty One

**Chapter Forty One**

She had been sitting on her bed when it happened. Just a day after Tony's successful experiment with the suit, she had been trying to get everything together for Christmas shopping. Last minute lists were spread across the bed, along with the secret Santa list she'd received from her coworkers at SHIELD.

With the Big Bang Theory running in the background, Ada had kept herself distracted until hearing an odd signal. She froze on the spot when the screen flickered, and it changed from the show to something far more terrifying.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat as she recognized the sign as something similar to the one used by the Ten Rings. The Ten Rings was the organization responsible for kidnapping Tony, and causing so much bloodshed across the Middle East. The worst part of it was, Stark Industries had been shipping weapons to them when Obadiah was in charge. She knew now that he had been part of the Ten Rings, and he played a large role in Tony's kidnapping.

"Dad?" Her hands were shaking as she called him, but, no response followed.

Her heart sank even further when the camera moved to show a group of people kneeling before it with their hands cropped over their heads. Not for the first time, Ada flinched when she saw the real terror written across their faces. It only got worse when the same man from the pictures of the files SHIELD sent her walked into view.

It wasn't until he appeared on the screen that Tony finally arrived. Ada glanced over her shoulder after noticing him leaning against her doorway with his arms crossed. The frown written across his face only added to her worry – they'd only just begun recovering from the battle of Manhattan, the last thing they needed was more drama.

"Some people call me a terrorist, I consider myself a teacher," he began. Guns were pointed towards the screen, along with the sound of shots being fired. Ada couldn't help but flinch at the all-too familiar sound. "America, ready for another lesson? In 1864 in Sand Creek Colorado the U.S. military waited till the friendly Cheyenne braves all gone hunting, waited to attack and slaughter their families left behind, and claim their land."

A shiver swept through Ada as she recalled that history lesson. It had been a bloody battle, and one that left a bitter reminder in the hearts of the natives that they were no longer welcome on their own land. Not for the first time, Ada found herself realizing how similar their stories were to that of her own people.

She finally stood up as she reached Tony's side, feeling her heart race with dread as she stared at the screen helplessly. It was like watching a scene in slow-motion. Because they had no warning, there wasn't any chance in helping those innocent people.

"Thirty-nine hours ago, the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait was attacked. I… I… I did that. A quaint military church filled with wives and children, of course. The soldiers were out on maneuver, the braves were away." In seconds a video of a bomb exploding was shown. "President Ellis you continue to resist my attempts to educate you, sir."

 _Educate my ass_ , Ada silently retorted. She knew what bastards like the Mandarin were like. He wouldn't hesitate to continue hurting innocent people unless something was done about it.

"And now, you've missed me again. You know who I am, you don't know where I am, and you'll never see me coming."

Another shiver swept through her when the screen returned back to the Big Bang Theory. Ada immediately reached for the remote and switched over to the news, only to find the live feed panicking. Reporters were already jumping into action trying to figure out who the man was, and why he'd committed such a horrific crime.

"Dad, tell me you know who that bastard is?" she asked, hoping Tony of all people would have an answer to the million dollar question.

Tony's face went pale, though, and Ada felt her heart racing even more when she realized that he was staring at nothing in particular. Instead of answering, Tony regained his composure and finally left without another word.

Ada frowned at his sudden change in behavior. She was ready to follow him when her phone suddenly went off. She shook her head before answering it, already guessing that SHIELD tried tracking the Mandarin down once more, only to fail miserably.

"We lost him."

Ada rose an eyebrow at the sound of Maria Hill's voice. She had gotten used to hearing Fury on the other end. She should have known that SHIELD would be keeping her posted on the Mandarin and his whereabouts. Though she wasn't surprised to find out that they hadn't been able to track him down after he hacked into the satellites. Something told her that with the kind of technology they had, he would return with something even worse.

"I kind of figured that after the way the reporters reacted," she replied after glancing at the television screen. "Any idea on what or who we're dealing with?"

She knew that people would panic. It was inevitable, especially with the holidays so close.

"We've already got an investigation team on pursuit," Maria replied without missing a beat, though, Ada didn't miss the doubt in her voice. As confident as she tried making herself sound, it was obvious even she had no idea what to expect from the Mandarin. Or, if he was even the real threat they needed to worry about, "The boss wants you to keep an eye on Stark, though. There might be a connection, but, we're not sure, yet."

"Alright," Ada murmured, knowing that if Tony was somehow connected with the Mandarin, then he needed to get his act together.

 _He almost looked as if he was_ panicking, she thought after looking back at his reaction to the video. For one thing, Tony rarely panicked unless the circumstances called for it. For another, he was usually one of the most confident, arrogant and egotistical people she knew.

Something was bothering Tony, and Ada planned on finding out what that something was.

…

"And, how is President Ellis responding? By taking the guy they call the 'War Machine', and giving him a paint job."

An image of the newly painted War Machine was shown on the television screen. Ada couldn't help but giggle at the face Tony made when he saw the new paint job. He would never openly admit that he wasn't a fan of red white and blue because it was the costume Steve used. To make matters worse, he never gave the President approval on changing the suit's name or giving it a new paint job. The suit had been given to Rhodes after the whole Vanko incident. And since Rhodes worked with the military and the President, she should have known that he would try to change the color scheme to appease the public.

"It's the same suit, but, painted red, white and blue. Look at that. And, they also renamed it Iron Patriot. You know, just in case the paint was too subtle."

By now, Ada was struggling to maintain a straight face as Tony buried his face into his hands and groaned in frustration. She knew how much Tony hated the new suit. Rhodes had already warned them that the suit had been changed due to the public's view on it. About the only reason he hadn't argued over the fact that they changed the suit and its name was because the President had signed off on it.

"It tested well with focus groups, alright?" Rhodes sighed with a shake of his head, hoping to alleviate whatever concerns Tony had on the newly designed suit.

"Better the focus groups than the public," Ada muttered under her breath.

She ignored the incredulous look Rhodes gave her as she took a sip of her water, smirking a little as she caught Tony glaring at them both. Tony never approved of her speaking out in the public, even though she often did when they were at home. Rhodes just shook his head in grim amusement when he noticed the rising tension between them. After finding out that the War Machine had gone through such a change, she wasn't surprised with how annoyed Tony was.

"I am Iron Patriot," Tony said.

Ada merely shrugged at the mocking of his tone, which was also dripping with sarcasm. He'd made it perfectly clear how much he hated the new design with his facial expression.

"Listen, War Machine was a little too aggressive, alright? This sends a better message," Rhodes tried reprimanding him.

"By telling the public that you're willing to change your suit just to appease the crowd?" Ada almost snorted at the ridiculous thought. "Since when did the 'Iron Patriot' become the President's new toy?"

"Since we realized how many threats there are to the public," Rhodes snapped without missing a beat.

He was doing a good job at hiding his exasperation, though Ada could see that he was getting frustrated.

"So, you wanna tell me what's really going on?" Tony pressed after shaking his head at their argument, "With the Mandarin?" Ada chewed the bottom of her lip at the mention of the Mandarin. Truthfully, neither of them were willing to admit that what they saw on the feed had terrified them. SHIELD was doing their best to hunt the Mandarin down, but, it seemed like as soon as a possible lead showed up, it vanished. "Seriously, can we talk about this guy?"

Tony's voice dropped to a whisper, and, Ada suddenly understood why when she noticed a few patrons were looking in their direction. Some were anxious about the Mandarin getting caught. Others were more concerned over the fact that this had become a favorite spot for them to meet and discuss the issue at hand. Either way, Ada knew that talking about sensitive information out in public was never a good idea.

"It's classified information, Tony," Rhodes reminded him with a sigh of frustration.

"Because that's ever kept him from snooping," Ada scoffed after crossing her arms.

After seeing the way Tony behaved over sensitive information that was meant to be kept secret, she knew better than to tell him anything. Sometimes, silence was better than giving a flat-out answer. Especially when Tony was involved.

"Okay… there have been nine bombings," Rhodes finally conceded when he realized Tony wasn't going to drop the subject.

That was enough for Ada's stomach to lurch with realization.

Nine bombings within the last couple of weeks were worse than she could have imagined. If the Mandarin was involved with them, which she suspected was the case, then they needed to take care of him sooner rather than later.

"Nine," Tony repeated, his voice dropping to a whisper as he rubbed the temple of his forehead.

"How the hell was he able to get away with nine bombings?" Ada asked, narrowing her eyes at the horrifying thought.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Rhodes explained as he leaned against the back of his seat, "The public only knows about three so far. The problem is, we can't ID any device. There's no bomb casings."

Ada furrowed her brows together in confusion. How were they able to cause a bomb to explode if there weren't any casings? The whole thing didn't make any sense. She doubted anyone could just walk away without leaving something behind for them to pick up.

"You know, I can help; all you have to do is just ask. I've got a ton of tech, I've got a prehensile, I've got a… I've got a bomb disposal," Tony spouted out. Ada merely rose an eyebrow at that. Tony was just trying to get some kind of knowledge as to what was going on with the Mandarin and the connection he had with the explosions. Whatever the case, she knew his tech could only do so much. "It catches explosions mid-air."

Rhodes just looked at Tony skeptically. Even if he managed to get Tony involved, the odds of them finding the Mandarin were slim. Ada found herself string at the table self-consciously as she thought of getting SHIELD involved. She doubted Tony would thank her anytime soon if she did just that.

"When's the last time you had a good night's sleep?" he asked, tilting his head to one side curiously.

A lump formed in the back of Ada's throat as she remembered what Jarvis had said. Something was up. While Tony rarely had proper sleep to begin with, this was an all-time record for him. He only didn't sleep when something was on his mind.

"Last time Jarvis checked was seventy-two hours, and that was three days ago," she answered before Tony could defend himself.

Rhodes' mouth hung open in disbelief as he looked between Tony and Ada. She hadn't missed the withering look Tony threw her. If he wasn't going to take proper care of himself, she sure as hell wasn't going to hold back on giving away sensitive information. Especially when it came to people who cared about him.

"Einstein slept three hours a year," Tony retorted, "Look what he did."

Running a hand through her hair, Ada knew that something had to be done about Tony's lack of sleep. She'd thought of asking Pepper for help. But, all that would do was form a rift between them. Pepper and Tony were already in a fragile relationship. The last thing Ada wanted to do was make it worse.

"Dad, you do realize that it's not only physically, but also mentally impossible to go without at least six hours of sleep a week, right?" she pointed out.

Tony just made a face at that, "Since when did you become a doctor?" he grumbled.

"She has a point, Tony," Rhodes put in hopefully.

The odds of getting through to him were slim, though. Ada could see an argument forming within his eyes before he even said anything. Tony was always defiant against anyone who tried ordering him around. When he thought he was right, and believed it, he would do everything he could to defy them.

"You're gonna come at me, like that?" he demanded after wrinkling his nose in annoyance.

Ada winced when he rose his voice a little louder, this time. She knew what he was trying to do. Cause a scene and catch the attention of any reporters that might have been there, at the time. She had no doubt they were interested in whatever stories they had to share about the Mandarin, or, the Avengers.

The problem with the press was, they always had to make things worse than they already were. They had done just that when she was working with Steve to get him acclimated to modern technology, and help him catch up on what he missed over the years. Of course, the Daily Bugle had to make the ridiculous claim that they were seeing each other. Both she and Steve were able to convince them otherwise, but, not without repercussions.

"No, no, no," Rhodes tried defending himself after pinching his nose in exasperation, "I'm not trying to be a dic…" He stopped himself short when Ada nudged him, gesturing to a couple of kids who approached the table with notebooks. She couldn't hide the small smile when he grinned like an idiot, hoping to deter them from what he had been about to say, "…tator."

The girl only giggled as she held out a picture of what looked like a drawling of Iron Man hovering in the sky. The boy standing behind her looked at all three of them as if he'd seen a ghost. Though, Ada could only imagine what was running through his mind at the moment as he looked between her and Tony.

"Would you please sign my drawling?" the girl asked after holding out a sheet of paper with the drawling.

"Only if my baby girl doesn't mind me showing off a little," Tony replied, flashing a coy smirk in Ada's direction.

She merely rolled her eyes as he took the drawling and a crayon the boy handed her. The girl was more fascinated with the ball of fire forming in the palm of Ada's hand. She didn't mind showing off for the kids, especially when she knew it was a rare opportunity to show them that people with powers weren't a threat.

Once she finally doused the flame with water, the girl's mouth formed into a warm smile, "You're the Phoenix, aren't you?" she asked curiously.

She couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she remembered Coulson giving her that nickname. It seemed as if the name stuck. Whether that was from SHIELD's influence or not, she would never know. She was just grateful it hadn't been something ridiculous.

"The one and only," she replied.

"Is it true that you can control all the elements?" the boy asked after looking at her curiously.

Ada eyed the boy in surprise after noticing he looked just like the kid from A Christmas Story. With the same glasses and hairstyle, he could have easily passed for the kid's twin brother. He must have been thinking the same thing, because he looked back down at the floor almost in embarrassment.

"Only when I need to control them," she assured him.

She glanced over her shoulder to where Tony was sitting, and eyed the picture curiously as he pulled out a crayon. Ada stiffened in surprise as she noticed that the picture bore an eerily similar resemblance to when Tony had nearly been sucked into a wormhole.

A shiver swept through her as she remembered how terrified she had been when she almost lost him. Though Tony had always promised he wouldn't leave her, she couldn't shake off the sense of dread that something terrible would happen to him.

"What's your name?" Tony asked after choosing a color to sign his name with.

"Erin," the girl replied.

Tony finally noticed the boy standing behind her, and he gave a slight smirk when he too reached the same conclusion Ada had.

"By the way, I loved you in, 'A Christmas Story'," he remarked.

The boy merely looked at him as if he'd heard that song and dance before. Not that Ada couldn't blame him. She suspected he got that all the time from strangers, and even school.

Rhodes leaned forward towards Tony, his expression impossible to make out. Ada glanced at him warily, fully aware that this had been something he wanted to keep to himself. The Mandarin was something that he wanted to handle on his own, and, to keep Tony away from as much as possible.

"Listen, the Pentagon is scared," he started when Tony started muttering under his breath, "After what happened in New York… aliens… come on." He paused to let this sink in, and, Ada found herself realizing why they wanted to prove they were strong enough to handle their own problems. Asking for help made them look weak. In the eyes of other nations, that made them vulnerable to further attacks. "They need to look strong. Stopping the Mandarin _is_ top priority, but, it's not—"

"It's superhero business, I get it," dad cut him off.

"No, it's not, quite frankly," Rhodes began in a sharper tone. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when Ada noticed Tony's hands were trembling. She was about to say something, but Rhodes went on before Ada could intervene, sounding more frustrated than ever, "It's American business."

"That's why I said I… got it—" Tony stopped short when the crayon snapped in half.

Tony dropped the two pieces and placed his forehead in his hands. She knew that look from anywhere. As much as Tony tried denying it, there was something wrong with him. And, Ada realized with a start that it was more than just the Mandarin that was on his mind.

"Dad?" she asked, carefully putting a hand on his arm as she tried calming him down.

"Are you okay?" Rhodes asked when he too finally noticed something was wrong.

"I broke the crayon," Tony whispered, his voice shaken. Before either of them could respond, Tony wrenched his arm away from Ada's grip and stood up, "I've gotta go," he declared, glancing at Ada warily.

All she could do was sit there and watch in disbelief as he left them, heading for the Iron Man suit that waited nearby. She'd only seen reactions like that during her training with SHIELD. They'd warned her that due to some of the trauma that agents faced during missions, they'd return with post traumatic stress, or suffer from severe anxiety attacks.

"What the hell was that?" Rhodes asked once Tony was gone.

"That was a severe anxiety attack," Ada whispered back.

With a sigh of frustration, she quickly apologized to the kids who had been watching with stunned expressions. Even they couldn't explain what was going on with Tony. Though, Ada didn't expect them to. Once she'd done that, she reached Tony and found him perched on the steps, half-crouched in the Iron Man suit with his face buried in his hands.

Ada swallowed hard as she sat down beside him, suddenly wishing there was more she could do for him.

"Tony."

He hardly looked at her when she said his name. She rarely used his name unless she was pissed off with him. When he finally looked at her, she noticed the rims of his eyes were dark with worry and fear.

A crowd of people gathered around them after noticing something was wrong. When they finally realized who was sitting on the stairs, a few people pulled out their phones and began taking pictures. It wasn't until Rhodey stepped out and stopped them that they finally dispersed, though, a few had stayed behind to watch the scene unfold.

"Sorry, kid," he finally brushed her off after regaining his composure. "I've got unfinished business to attend to. Rhodey, take her home."

Ada's eyes narrowed in disbelief when he finally took off, leaving them behind. Rhodes shook his head in amazement when he realized that Tony had left her behind, not for the first time. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the reporters to start bombarding them with questions the moment Tony was gone. She was relieved when Rhodes managed to push them out of the way, making a beeline for the car.

"Look, I may not be a genius like your dad, but something tells me there's more going on with him than you're letting on."

 _As if I'd tell you the truth_ , Ada silently argued. She was desperate to formulate an answer that would help alleviate whatever worries Rhodes had for Tony. The problem was, Ada didn't have an answer to the problem. Tony suffering from a severe anxiety attack wasn't necessarily unheard of, but, it was enough of a reminder that they needed to do something about it.

"I wish it was as easy as providing an answer," she shook her head, knowing that wouldn't help.

Besides, the last thing she wanted was to get inside Tony's head. She had no doubt psychiatrists would have a field day trying to unravel the mysteries that lay behind his subconscious.

"Whatever it is, it needs to be taken care of, quickly," Rhodes snapped after reaching a nice looking Chevy.

Ada frowned at that. For once, she fully agreed with Rhodes on that notion. One way or another, something needed to be done about Tony's problem. Otherwise, she had a feeling they would all pay the price.

* * *

 **AN: I have been going around making sure the timeline's were fixed. Didn't realize until it was pointed out in a review that the timelines were off, and could be confusing to some readers. Hopefully, I've fixed them all. If not, please let me know. I'm always looking for ways to improve the story's quality, so please don't be afraid to give some criticism (kind criticism, please). At any rate, big thanks to emajb89 and ImsebastianstanButter for reviewing!**

 **emajb89 - Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much :D**

 **ImsebastianstanButter - Thank you for pointing out those errors. I've already gone ahead and fixed them. When I first wrote this story, it was nearly three years ago, so unfortunately I might have skimmed over any mistakes that were made along the way.**


	42. Chapter Forty Two

**Chapter Forty Two**

"So, let me get this straight, Tony is having panic attacks and you think this has something to do with the Mandarin?"

After finally getting back to the mansion when Rhodes offered a ride home, Ada decided to call Steve of all people. She knew he was busy doing whatever work SHIELD had offered him, but, he'd always insisted they somehow keep in touch with each other. Ada took full advantage of that offer, knowing she needed someone to vent off her worries to. Steve just happened to be that one person, since Natasha nor Clint were willing to put up with it.

"That about sums it up," she replied with a nod. She frowned as she glanced at the video screen, suddenly aware that Steve had likely seen just about everything from working for the army. "I know it sounds a bit… crazy, but, I'm worried about him. He isn't getting decent sleep, and hasn't been himself since the battle of New York."

Steve furrowed his brows together in thought when she mentioned the battle and Tony's lack of sleep. She really was worried about her father. Tony had his stubborn streaks, and when he put his mind on a task, he rarely didn't stop until said task was complete. But, this was something entirely different. She'd never seen Tony act like this, even after he was captured by the Ten Rings and tortured by them. It was clear that something was bothering him, and she wished that she knew what that something was.

"Have you tried talking to him about this?" he asked thoughtfully.

Ada held back a sigh of frustration and sat perched on her bed. Of course, she'd tried talking to Tony about it. Multiple times when he wasn't with Rhodes or anyone else. The problem was, Tony happened to be too stubborn to accept help. He would refuse to talk about it even if she did manage to ask him what the problem was. If something was bothering him like she suspected, Tony wouldn't admit it out loud until something terrible happened to him or someone he cared about.

"He's a stubborn pain in the ass who refuses to admit something's wrong," she muttered crossly.

If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was actually laughing at that. She knew she wasn't much better when it came to stubbornness issues. Hell, he'd experienced first-hand just how stubborn she could be. Yet, that didn't make what was happening any better. She wished there was more she could do to resolve the issue at hand. She hated feeling so useless when there was something that could have been done.

"Just try and talk to him. You'd be surprised how well that works," he replied.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Ada supposed that was the best option they had. Fury wanted her to keep an eye on Tony because of his odd behavior, and the threat the Mandarin posed. Something in the back of her mind kept telling Ada that the connections were too coincidental for her to ignore. She chewed the bottom of her lip at the thought, knowing that she would have to ask sooner or later if Tony knew who the Mandarin was.

"Thanks, Steve," she murmured after giving a faint nod.

"Take care of yourself," he returned the gesture, offering a small smile.

"You too," she whispered back.

She couldn't help but return the gesture, suddenly wishing that he could have been there in person.

If only it was as simple as talking to him.

She shook her head at the thought, and decided that a shower would be the best way to clear her mind.

It wasn't until after she had gotten out of the shower and changed into fresh clothing that she noticed Tony was back. She had the labs rigged to tell her when he was back, and she guessed from the small alarm that went off, he'd only just recently returned.

Ada narrowed her eyes after walking down to the lab. She hadn't missed the fact that the Iron Man suit was now covered in dents, some of them fresh, and some of them old. Tony himself was leaning against a work table, too focused on whatever project he had before him to notice her arrival.

"What the hell is wrong with you, dad?" she demanded after noticing how absentminded he was.

She knew he'd been planning a dinner date with Pepper later tonight. It was obvious that he'd forgotten about it, and if Ada knew Pepper, she would take his carelessness personally. Pepper wasn't even aware of the fact that Tony had suffered from a panic attack. Ada frowned at the thought, realizing that she should be the first to know. Maybe she would have an idea of what was going on with Tony, or she would be able to figure it out for herself.

"Fixing something," he muttered without looking at her, "Why don't you make yourself useful and go away?"

She had to bite back a nasty retort. For one thing, Tony rarely brushed her off so bluntly. For another, she had a feeling this had to do with his earlier panic attack. Her fists clenched as she shot him a glare before heading back to the main living room.

Things only got worse when she spotted Pepper arriving just as she reached the living room. Before Tony had finally taken responsibility for her, Pepper was usually the one who looked after her. The two of them had remained good friends throughout the years, and Ada still saw Pepper as a mother-figure. If there was one thing she had learned about Pepper throughout those years, it was not to piss her off.

Ada turned just in time to see a giant looking stuffed rabbit sitting in front of the mansion itself. Pepper had stopped for just a moment, eyeing the stuffed animal before rolling her eyes and walking inside. Ada herself wasn't sure whether she should laugh her ass off at the rabbit, or kick Tony's ass for thinking a giant stuffed rabbit made a decent gift.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I was…" Pepper cut herself off after noticing the Iron Man suit that reached the sofa. Ada nearly rolled her eyes at the sight. She knew that Tony was busy working on the lab, and likely hoping that Pepper would buy his act. "What is that?" She looked at Ada in disbelief as crossed her arms in annoyance, "Ada, do you know where Tony is?"

She hesitated for a moment, aware that Pepper was already in a bad enough mood. The last thing she wanted was to make it worse. She knew what Pepper was like when she was angry, and, it wasn't a pretty sight.

"I'd rather not get involved with… this," she replied, gesturing between Pepper and the Iron Man suit.

"He's wearing this in the house, now?" Pepper went on as she walked over to the suit, "What is this, Mark Fifteen?"

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she noticed the number hidden on the back of his helmet. He did his best to hide it, though she knew it read _Mark Forty Two_.

"Uh… yeah, something like that. You know, everyone needs a hobby," Tony replied.

She only stayed in the background, knowing full-well that getting caught in their argument was the last thing she wanted. Tony had a tendency to drag her into whatever was going on between them. She knew that would only end in disaster if they started fighting again.

"Oh, and you're wearing your hobby in the living room, now?" she deadpanned.

"Just breakin' it in. You know, it's a little pinchy in the gooey bag at first, so…"

She didn't bother sticking around for the rest. Finally getting fed up with their argument, Ada left them before things could escalate to a full-blown argument.

With a sigh of frustration, she locked the door behind her once she reached her room. Some fresh air after that kind of argument was desperately needed. She needed to clear her mind, and something told her meditation wasn't the answer, this time.

"Jarvis, do you know where Happy is?" she asked after realizing he was the one person she knew she could talk to without worrying about Tony finding out.

"Mr. Hogan is on his way to the Chinese Theater, Miss Stark," Jarvis replied almost immediately.

She hid a knowing smile as she slipped out through the window before anyone could notice she was missing. Tony had an array of cars she could choose from, and she didn't need keys to start the engine. The good thing about being taught how to drive by Clint was, he'd taught her how to hot-wire a car. Normally, she only used such skills during an emergency. But, at this point, she was desperate to get away from the rising tension between Tony and Pepper.

Shaking her head at the thought, she pushed away whatever worries she had of Tony and Pepper and drove off to the Chinese Theater.

…

After weaving in and out of traffic for what felt like hours, Ada finally reached her intended destination and found a parking space to pull into. It was already late at night, and she was surprised Tony hadn't tried calling her since she left the mansion. On any normal occasion, he would have called a dozen times before she finally answered. Her heart sank even further at the thought. Something was really wrong with him if he wasn't checking in on her like he normally did.

To her surprise, and to her amazement, she noticed that the Chinese Theater looked like the real thing. Green roofs that arched down could be made out across every block. A large archway marked the main entrance theater itself. Small booths selling cheap knock-off souvenirs were scattered around the plaza. The place itself was crowded with pedestrians and customers. Ada couldn't help but marvel at the site when she realized this was the first time she'd visited the place.

It didn't take her long to spot Happy among the crowd. He was just getting out of his car when she walked across the street, reaching him within seconds.

"Happy!" He stopped short after realizing that he wasn't alone.

"Ada, what are you doing here?" he asked once he reached her, checking to make sure that no one was watching them.

"Well, dad and Pepper are currently arguing with one another, and I've got nothing better to do," she started with a shrug.

Happy eyed her skeptically, but he didn't bother pressing for answers. He knew she wasn't fond of hearing Tony and Pepper argue. After growing up with it for the last fourteen years, she still couldn't get used to it.

"I'm on a mission of my own," he said, and she almost smirked after noticing how proud he sounded.

As they started walking towards the stairs leading to the main courtyard, Ada noticed that the area was bustling with activity. Though, Happy had his gaze focused on one couple in particular. Ada narrowed her eyes when she followed his gaze, not missing the fact that they were acting strangely suspicious.

Carefully, she turned on the earpiece that she always kept handy while on missions.

It was a device that she and Jimmy had worked on a few months ago. The device itself was designed so that she could overhear conversations from a distance between pedestrians. It came in handy during situations like these, and not for the first time, Ada found herself silently thanking Jimmy for his clever hands in engineering.

"That's the guy I'm keeping an eye on," Happy informed her after looking at the two men who looked strangely guarded.

He nodded towards the younger looking gentleman dressed in a trench coat; the man kept looking over his shoulder as if he was expecting someone to attack him. Ada watched him carefully, knowing full-well that if he was planning something, they needed to be ready for it.

"Looks more like a rat that crawled out of the sewers," she muttered under her breath.

Happy threw her a knowing look as he smirked. Even if he didn't agree with her choice of words, he knew she had a point.

"Yeah, well, he was with the guy who was hitting on Pepper earlier today," he explained with a shrug, "Tony asked me to keep an eye on him, and, I plan on doing just that."

Ada watched the pair warily as they started talking in low whispers, "Can you regulate?"

He knew he was being watched. That explained why he was acting so suspiciously. Ada's fists clenched as she hid behind Happy, peering around the corner as she kept one eye on them.

"Yes, I can regulate," the younger man replied.

For a moment, Ada blinked in confusion as she wondered what they meant by regulate. To her, it sounded almost like a drug deal.

"Are you sure about that?"

The older guy handed over the briefcase, the slightest smirk playing on his face.

"Yes," the younger guy repeated.

"It's a decent batch. Don't say I never did nothin' for you."

"Thank you… I mean for understanding."

She narrowed her eyes after realizing this really did look more like a drug deal than anything else. Not for the first time, Ada found herself wondering why they hadn't tried stopping them, yet. Drug deals happened just about every day, and were so common that SHIELD didn't bother with them. That was something the cops could handle.

Before the man could get any further, Ada took the initiative and 'accidentally' bumped into him, knocking something out of his hand in the process. Happy quickly caught the object in question and patted him apologetically on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, buddy," he said, "My friend here can be a little clumsy."

She offered a small smile as the younger guy looked at her warily. If he suspected anything, he didn't show it. The longer they stayed there, the higher risks they had of getting caught by both this guy and the one Happy was so concerned about.

That was when things took a turn for the worse. The guy's hands began glowing red, and, Ada could see steam rising from them. She shot Happy a warning look, praying that he hadn't missed the sudden change himself.

"What are you doing, buddy?" the guy Happy had been stalking asked when he joined them. "You out by yourself? A little date night?" His eyes shifted between Happy and Ada, and Ada suddenly felt her cheeks turning a faint shade of red. "Watching your favorite chick flick, maybe?"

"You're asking way too many questions for my liking," Ada snapped, crossing her arms as the man narrowed his eyes. "We were just passing by."

"Yeah, and, we were on our way to see a little movie called 'The Party's Over', starring you and your junky girlfriend, and here's your ticket," Happy put in, revealing the object the younger man had dropped.

Ada stiffened when she noticed they were glaring at them dangerously. The tension had risen to its peak. His hands started glowing once more, and Ada was already formulating an escape plan for Happy before things could spiral out of control.

"No kidding? That doesn't belong to you."

The stranger tried swiping it from Happy, but Ada reacted faster. She grabbed the object before he could reach it, moving it just out of reach. He let out a grunt of surprise when she punched his nose in the process, ignoring the look Happy threw her.

Ada took a step back in surprise when his face glowed a bright red. Seconds later, and his face was completely healed. Not a single trace of what she had done was visible. Her heart was racing with panic when he suddenly grabbed her by the neck, his hands still glowing that bright red. She could feel heat radiating from his body as he tossed her aside like a useless utensil.

Her head began to spin as Happy was thrown seconds later not far from where she had been tossed. Ada struggled to get up, but instead forced back a yelp of pain that shot through her leg. Of course, it would have felt as if he'd broken it.

The stranger started walking towards them, his hands still glowing until someone shouted his name.

"Savin!" He stopped in mid-step, glaring at the speaker. "Help! Help me!"

Horror surged through Ada when she realized what was happening. Savin only smiled as the younger guy began glowing the way he had earlier. Only it was a more violent glow, and the heat that came from him was almost overwhelming.

"Ada, you need to get out of here," Happy shouted as he too saw what was happening.

She only shook her head and started focusing her powers on the ground. She needed to act quickly if they were to make it out of here alive.

"I'm not leaving you here to deal with that," she snapped as she pulled up pieces of cement.

The cement would protect them both from the intense heat that she could already feel. Not for the first time, her powers had saved her life as well as someone else's life – the guy in question had suddenly screamed in agony as what appeared to be his energy reached a critical point.

It wasn't until after she'd formed a rock-like shield to keep them safe from the heat that the explosion followed. The world suddenly felt as if it as being ripped apart around Ada as she hurtled rock after rock to keep the shield from falling apart.

Nothing could have prepared her for the pain that followed. The intense heat that came from the explosion was enough for her to lose control. Her teeth ground together as she tried to hold herself up. If she lost control now, it would only end in disaster for everyone.

By the time the flames had finally begun to die down, Ada was gasping for breath. The smoke burned her lungs, making it difficult to breathe. It was also clouding her vision enough that she couldn't make out where everyone was. But, Ada hadn't missed the fact that Savin had survived the explosion. Her eyes narrowed with rage as she saw him walking away, as if nothing had happened to him.

He was the last thing she saw before passing out from sheer exhaustion.

…

"True story about fortune cookies. They look Chinese, they sound Chinese, but they're actually an American invention. Which is why they're hollow, full of lies, and leave a bad taste in the mouth. My disciples just destroyed another cheap American knock-off, The Chinese Theater. Mr. President, I know this must be getting frustrating, but this season of terror is drawing to a close. And don't worry, the big one is coming; your graduation."

Tony's heart lurched with dread as the video played out. When he'd gotten a call from Fury regarding Ada's condition, he suddenly wished a hole would open up and swallow him.

Because of his negligence, she'd gotten hurt. He knew this could have easily been avoided if he'd paid attention. His hands were shaking as he recalled how furious Fury had been when he called. Now, he was just thankful Pepper had been asleep at the time. There was no telling how she would have reacted had she found out.

He shook his head at the thought, knowing full-well that this was all his fault. He planned on making things right, again. One way or another. Even if it killed him, in the end.

* * *

 **AN: I'm sorry I haven't updated in over a week. One reviewer kept saying that this story doesn't make any sense (in a way, it really doesn't ^^); now, I'm going to be honest in saying this was actually written years ago, and I'm just trying to tweak it best as I can. I appreciate constructive criticism, and I try fixing whatever errors people point out. With that being said, I went back and changed her age to be more accommodating to the story. At any rate, thank you ImsebastiantanButter and Softballpup12 for reviewing!**

 **Softballpup12 - Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much :) Hopefully you'll continue enjoying it, despite my lack of updates ^^**


	43. Chapter Forty Three

**Chapter Forty Three**

If there was one thing Ada hated about being stuck in a hospital, it was being surrounded by those stark white walls. They were boring, depressing, and left her mind feeling numb. Waking up in a hospital didn't make things any better.

The familiar sound of a heart-rate monitor echoed in the background. Emergency calls sounded every now and then through the intercoms. IV fluid bags were attached to her arm as her eyes blinked open, and she tried focusing on anything but the room she was in.

It had taken a few seconds for her to register where she was, and what had happened. The intense pain from earlier had become a dull throbbing. She grimaced and tried sitting up, only to wince at the sudden pain that bolted through her.

She blinked a few times as she realized that she wasn't alone. A loud snort from the other side of the room made her look up, eyes narrowing in surprise when she recognized Fury standing there.

"Of all the irresponsible, reckless stunts you could've pulled off…" Ada cringed at the sound of Director Fury's voice. She was half-expecting to find Tony waiting in the room for her to wake up. Instead, she finally spotted Fury leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. He did look pissed off, and, Ada couldn't help but wince as she realized he had a point. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are that you're alive? Or that they didn't take you?"

She bit back a sigh of frustration. His accusations only left her feeling guiltier about what had happened. Things had gone horribly wrong when she joined Happy at the theater. They could have easily been avoided if she had convinced him to turn back. Instead, she'd encouraged him and even gotten involved with the explosions that were happening across the United States.

SHIELD was trying to track down the Mandarin, and anyone that got involved would likely get caught in the crossfire. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to get hurt because of her mistakes. Yet, there they were.

"Well, no offense, but your voice is about as soothing as the sound of nails on a chalkboard," she grumbled, rubbing the back of her head as she sat up.

"Just be thankful I didn't drag your sorry ass to the base," he snapped after pinching the bridge of his nose. "Your job is to stay alive and keep an eye on your father, as challenging as that may seem."

Ada narrowed her eyes at that last comment.

It stung, and he knew it.

She _had_ been careful over the last few years of her training. Seeing Happy and the way he was handling the two men just reminded Ada of how little she knew, and that she could have lost so much more. He could have died if things took a turn for the worse. Her heart lurched at the thought of what could have happened to either of them.

"Happy, is he alright?" she couldn't help but ask when she finally spotted Tony arriving.

He shot Fury a warning look as the Director let out another huff of frustration and gave them some time alone. Once Fury was gone, Tony wasted no time in closing the distance between them. Ada felt a lump forming in the back of her throat when he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Despite the dull pain from earlier, she found herself returning the gesture as she realized just how relieved she was to see him again.

"He's alive," he reassured her after hearing her last question, "And thank God you're alive."

She let out a sigh of relief as she buried her face into his shoulder. Knowing that Happy was alive left her feeling more than relieved that she had done something right. Yet, she hadn't missed the dark look in his eyes when they finally pulled apart.

"What happened to him?" she asked hesitantly.

She remembered the explosion that had shaken the theater. She remembered the sickly red hands that had begun glowing, and that the party responsible for said explosion happened to be human. It was enough to send a shudder through her. She hadn't realized at the time that the bombs Rhodes mentioned were caused by human interference. The connections were beginning to make sense when she put thought into it. He mentioned that they hadn't been able to find casings around the explosion sites. Any searches found little to no evidence revolving around an actual bombing, which only added to her earlier confusion.

"According to One-eye, you were clinging onto Happy for dear life when they found you on the steps," he explained once he'd grabbed a chair to sit beside her. "He's been in a coma since you were both taken in."

Ada swallowed hard. Her throat suddenly felt tighter than usual. The guilt from earlier came rushing back at full-force as she pictured the desperate look in Happy's eyes when he tried getting away. He could have fled the area unscathed. Instead, she only made it worse and ended up getting him hurt in the process. She tried pushing the thoughts aside when she realized why she felt so guilty. So many scenarios played across her mind as she imagined what could have happened if he'd gotten the chance to run.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, burying her face into her hands.

"Ada, don't you dare blame yourself for something you had no control over," Tony snapped before she could say anything else, "Look, Happy would've gone out of his way to try and stop this nutcase, with or without your help."

That didn't make her feel any better, even if she knew he was right. Happy was a stubborn man, and once he put his mind on something, he didn't usually stop until the task was finished. That was one of the many reasons Tony hired him in the first place.

"I could've done better," she muttered under her breath.

"None of us could've done better," he reminded her, squeezing her shoulder gently as she finally looked at him, "I've been nothing more than an ass for the last couple of weeks, and I realize that this is more my fault than anything else."

For once, Ada didn't know what to say. She found herself staring at him for a few seconds as she contemplated over what he said.

"Saying that had to hurt," she finally whispered after realizing that he was admitting his own mistakes.

 _He's never done that before_ , she thought.

He must have been feeling guiltier about it than she realized. Though, as Ada studied his face for the first time since waking up, she noticed with a start that he actually looked _afraid_. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she noticed just how terrified he really looked.

"How are you feeling, after all of that?" he asked.

"Most of my injuries were healed when I woke up," she replied with a shrug, glancing down to make sure, "I feel a little sore, but I'm guessing that's only natural after going through something like that."

Tony gave a nod at that, looking more than relieved. He let out a heavy sigh and stood up, letting her do the same after she pulled off the straps attached to the heart monitors. Nurse's call or not, she didn't plan on sticking around the hospital for too long. She hated them for a reason, and didn't plan on explaining why.

She studied her arms curiously as she noticed for the first time that she had no scars.

Most people would have considered that a bonus. Yet, Ada found herself frowning when she realized that her powers had taken that away, as well. She shook her head at the thought. Having powers may have been the only reason SHIELD let her join, but, there was always a downside to them.

Her frown deepened when Tony finally led her to the room where Happy was being kept in. She shivered when she spotted the IV fluid bags attached to his arms. The heart monitors' rhythmic beating was the only reassuring sign she had that he was still alive. What horrified her the most, though, was seeing his face.

His face was now heavily scarred, with burn marks that glared an angry red. Both of his arms were wrapped in bandages, hiding whatever carnage had been left behind during the explosion. Ada had to swallow the bile rising in her throat as she studied the marks carefully, knowing this could have easily been avoided.

A nurse was placing a fresh vase of flowers beside the bed. Ada blinked in surprise when she noticed most of the flowers had been from friends and family. Even Tony had left a small bouquet for Happy. Despite the grim situation, she couldn't hide the small smile that followed. The flowers were enough to brighten even the dullest room, and she knew Happy would've approved if he had been awake at the time.

"Sunday Night's PBS _Downtown Abbey_ ," Tony started when the nurse in the room glanced at them in surprise, "That's his favorite show; he thinks it's elegant." Ada almost smiled as she remembered the many nights when Happy was left babysitting her. He would often put on Downtown Abbey or other shows like it to keep her entertained, whether she liked the shows or not. His excuse was that he wanted her to have some culture. Not that Tony hadn't provided any during their worldly travels, "One more thing… make sure everyone wears their badges. He's a stickler for that sort of thing, plus, my guys won't let anyone in without them."

"Of course, Mr. Stark," the nurse replied with a warm smile.

"Get well soon, Happy," Ada whispered once she walked past them.

She was thankful he hadn't been in worse shape. She just wished she could use her powers to help him recover faster. Though she knew she had healing powers, and had used them to heal her own injuries, she knew that using them on other people with injuries drained her energy. She'd begun practicing her powers at SHIELD to know their extent, and she finally began to understand that her powers could also kill her if she misused them.

' _The hardest challenge is knowing your limitations_ ,' Nadia had told her one day when she asked why she felt so drained when she tried using them. ' _We must learn at an early age what our limits are_.'

 _That's easier said than done_ , she thought after remembering how often she tried using her powers and ended up exhausting herself.

Despite her extensive test-runs, she still didn't know the extent of her own abilities. It terrified her to know that she could easily hurt someone as quickly as she helped them. She knew she was dangerous, and it left her wondering whether it was right to use her powers in the public or not.

"We're awaiting the arrival of Mr. Stark and his daughter. We're hoping he'll provide us with his reaction… his reaction to the most recent attack."

Ada scowled when they left the hospital, only to find themselves surrounded by a crowd of reporters. Without warning, the bright flashes of cameras nearly blinded her. She lifted her arm to shield the harsh lights, not missing the fact that dozens of people were asking questions that she wasn't in the mood to answer.

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Our sources are telling us that this is another Mandarin attack. Is there anything else you can tell us?"

She exchanged an anxious look with Tony, knowing that the press had been looking for answers behind the Mandarin's attacks. Fury had asked her to keep an eye on Tony because of his connections with the Mandarin. Admitting out loud to the press that he had some knowledge of the Mandarin would only confirm the reporter's suspicions.

"Miss Stark, how did Captain America respond to this most recent attack that you were involved in?"

That question was enough for Ada to roll her eyes. Almost at once, Tony threw the reporter that asked that question a murderous look. He never did get over the fact that she had agreed to help Steve acclimate to the twenty-first century.

"One, none of this is any of his concern, and two, we are _not_ seeing each other," she snapped.

Besides, even if they did decide to start 'seeing each other', Tony would have never approved. She could already see him silently plotting Steve's death if it ever came to that. Though, she doubted Tony would ever get close enough to accomplish his goal.

"Hey, Mr. Stark! When is someone gonna kill this guy?" Ada threw the man that spoke up a glare, and he suddenly looked both embarrassed and meek, though, he clearly had no regrets for bringing it up, "I'm just sayin'."

 _Why does everyone automatically assume he's going to kill someone_? she wondered.

Before he had designed the Iron Man suit, Tony was known as the bringer of death in some countries because of his weapon's company. She knew that those accusations still haunted him. But, Tony had a change of heart after he was captured by the Ten Rings. Even he admitted that building weapons wasn't always the answer to everyone's problem.

"Is that what you want? Here's a little holiday greeting I've been wanting to send to the Mandarin." Ada bit the bottom of her lip when Tony said that, not quite liking where he was going with this. "I just didn't know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a coward, so I've decided that you just died, pal. I'm gonna come get the body. There's no politics here; it's just good old-fashioned revenge. There's no Pentagon; it's just you and me. And on the off-chance you're a man, here's my home address: 10880, Malibu Port, 90265. I'll leave the door unlocked."

Everyone stopped cold when he finally gave their house address. Ada felt her heart sink even further as she mulled over the endless reasons why that was never a good thing. The Mandarin had already caused a dozen casualties throughout the country. She had no doubt he wouldn't feel a thing if he tried targeting Tony, and he'd exploit someone just to reach his goal.

Tony suddenly grabbed one of the reporter's phones and threw it to the ground, ignoring the looks of disbelief everyone was giving him. Ada shrank back when she realized his odd behavior was only getting worse. He was acting like a three-year-old throwing a tantrum in front of a crowd of people.

"That's what you wanted, right?" he went on after pushing his way through the crowd. Ada mouthed an apology at the reporter whose phone he broke. The poor guy looked more confused than ever after realizing Tony's behavior was unacceptable out in public, "Bill me."

"Dad!" Ada called after him as she followed him. Tony barely paused in his stride when she reached him, and threw him a glare, "Are you out of your mind?"

"I am when those people decide to threaten my friends, and my family," he snapped. Ada just stared at him in disbelief when Tony let out a huff of frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Look, I'm sorry. I know I'm acting like a dick, and I doubt I'll get any better. But, they went too far attacking you and Happy. I'm not letting the Mandarin, or whoever the hell he is, get away with it."

Ada drew in a sharp breath as she studied him warily. The fact that the people who attacked the Chinese Theater had targeted herself and Happy left her wondering if they had known who they were, at the time.

"Well, breaking someone's phone and giving away our location isn't going to help matters," she retorted. "I'll see if there's a way to find the Mandarin within SHIELD's database."

Tony looked at her in surprise after realizing what she was implying. Considering what those people had done to Happy, she was more than willing to break a few rules and hack into SHIELD's database. Even if it meant getting into trouble.

* * *

 **AN: I'm so sorry it's been two weeks since my last update. I plan on getting back to this; my life has been kind of hectic though. By the way, I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday, and had a great New Year :)  
**


	44. Chapter Forty Four

**Chapter Forty Four**

"I've compiled a Mandarin database for you, sir. Drawn from SHIELD, FBI and CIA intercepts. Initiating virtual crime scene reconstruction."

After returning to the lab from their incident at the hospital, Ada wasted no time in hacking into SHIELD's database to uncover whatever files were hidden revolving around the Mandarin. Most of it had been encrypted, but, luckily, Jarvis was able to figure it out and create a new file that Tony could easily read.

The news was on in the background. Ada had kept the television on in the attempt of keeping peace with the media. Though, that attempt had ended in miserable failure as she saw the stories that were currently trending. Most of them involved Tony giving away his home address. A few revolved around her relationship with Steve, to which Tony nearly gagged in disgust. Ada had to keep reminding him that it was just the media trying to portray things out of proportion.

"You do realize that you've just painted a huge target on the back of your head?" she quipped as she sat perched on a desk with her legs swinging back and forth. Tony threw her an incredulous look as he studied the holographic display of the crime scene. "Pepper's going to kill you, if the Mandarin doesn't."

"As of right now, Pepper's the least of my worries," he snorted in grim amusement, shaking his head while keeping an eye on the victims that were caught in the explosion.

It was a gruesome sight. Ada's heart wrenched with pity as she saw the looks of horror written across their faces when they tried getting away. She knew she, Happy and a couple of others were the lucky few who got away mostly unscathed. Quite a few people had been killed during the explosion, while others still would live with the scars that would forever haunt them.

"I'll remember that the next time you two are arguing." Tony just stuck his tongue out at her, and she almost laughed at his reaction.

She had to admit, it did feel good to have _something_ to laugh about. It seemed that lately, there wasn't much happiness in the world. Between the battle of New York and now this, life was constantly throwing some kind of curveball that made it difficult to continue on.

"Okay, what do we have, here? His name is an ancient Chinese war mantra, meaning ' _Adviser to the king_ '." He paused and looked in Ada's direction. She merely shrugged, having already figured that much after reading through the files Fury left her. They may not have been much, but, when she pieced it together with the files from the CIA and FBI, it suddenly turned into a much bigger case. "South American insurgency tactics; talks like a Baptist preacher. There's a lot of pageantry going on, here… lots of theater."

"You're making it sound as if he staged the whole thing," Ada said after hopping off the table and reaching the hologram.

"Wouldn't be surprised if that's what happened," he quipped. He threw her a knowing look before returning to his work. "The guy clearly has an ego and was demanding everyone's attention after hacking into the national broadcasting network."

"Which means he wants a bigger audience," she concluded.

One nod was all it took for Ada to realize that the Mandarin was a bigger threat than anyone suspected.

She eyed the hologram thoughtfully as Tony rubbed his chin and did the same. He was trying to figure out the hidden message behind the Mandarin's attacks. If he could piece together the reason behind said attacks, and figure in why there were no bomb casings, she knew he could find the Mandarin, himself.

"The heat blast was an excess of three thousand degrees Celsius," Jarvis informed them, "Any subject within twelve point five yards would have been vaporized."

Once again, a shiver swept through Ada when she realized just how close she had been to dying while there. She had to silently thank her powers that had saved both her life as well as Happy's. Despite the fact that he had suffered from serious injuries and was now in a coma, he could have met the same fate as the rest of the victims.

"Seems like there weren't any bomb parts found in the area, either," she remarked, frowning at the thought.

"That would be correct, Ma'am."

Ada frowned as she realized there was more going on than meets the eye. The fact that these people had gotten away with no bomb casings left her wondering how that was physically possible. After seeing the eerie, almost sickly red glow in their hands and faces, it made her realize that they were using themselves as bombs. She knew it wouldn't take long for Tony to reach the same conclusion.

"Talk to me, Happy," Tony said after eyeing the hologram warily. He'd been studying the scene for what felt like hours, now. Ada rose an eyebrow as she noticed Happy was looking in one direction in particular. Despite the fact that she had blocked out the worst of the heat, he still suffered the worst blow. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully when she noticed with a start that he had been pointing to what looked like dog tags draped along the ground nearby, "When is a bomb not a bomb?"

"Any military victims?" Ada asked when she realized there might have been a connection between the bombs and the military.

She knew that a lot of people who worked for the army wore dog tags to show which branch they'd worked, and to show that they were part of the military at some point. If they were from the military, it was likely that they were distributing some kind of drug and using those people as some kind of test subject.

"Not according to the public records, Ma'am," Jarvis replied.

"Bring up the thermogenic signatures again, factor in three thousand degrees."

"The oracle cloud has completed analysis. Accessing satellites and plotting the last twelve months of thermogenic occurrence now."

She watched with fascination as Tony pulled apart what was left from the attack. He managed to piece together what had happened and who was the reason behind it in seconds. Not for the first time, she was fascinated with the way Tony always managed to make technology look even better than it already was. Most of the tech he had in his lab wasn't even available to the public.

"Take away everywhere that there's been a Mandarin attack." Tony started pulling away files that weren't included in the Mandarin's attack. Then, he stopped at one that had happened recently in Rosehill, Tennessee. "That. You sure that's not one of his?" He eyed the structure curiously.

"It predates any known Mandarin attack. The incident was the use of a bomb to assist a suicide," Jarvis explained.

"Bring it around." Ada eyed the scans curiously when she noticed there was more to the attack in Tennessee. Most of the files were recent. She frowned after realizing that two of the victims in the attack had been from the military. "That's two military guys. Jarvis, you ever been to Tennessee?"

Tennessee… it seemed like such a random location for an attack. Though, if it predated any Mandarin incidents, Ada could see why it was so random. Something in the back of her mind told her that the Mandarin had some kind of connection with the military and these bombings. If that was the case, then, Tennessee might be their best bet in finding their answers.

"Creating a flight plan for Tennessee."

"Exactly what are you planning on telling Pepper when you suddenly leave?" Ada asked, crossing her arms in annoyance when she realized that Tony had left her out, again.

She knew Pepper wouldn't be happy. Lately, all they ever seemed to do was argue. If things kept going the way they were, she couldn't shake off the feeling that Pepper would decide to leave Tony. Not that she couldn't necessarily blame Pepper for that notion.

The real problem was, Tony could barely function on his own without their help. Ada suspected he would never get the proper amount of sleep he did without a friendly reminder from either of them. Or, eat properly for that matter.

"I haven't thought of that, yet," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he glanced at her. "Actually, you can tell her when I'm gone. Makes things easier for everyone."

"Do you seriously expect me to tell Pepper that you just upped and left during the holidays?" she snapped, suddenly wishing she could smack the sheepish smirk that followed, "Dad, she's your girlfriend! For God's sake, why not start treating her that way?"

 _And, you're not keeping me from this_ , she added silently. The fact that Happy had been targeted during the attack made her want to take the Mandarin down now more than ever. The asshole deserved to pay for his crimes, in more ways than one.

Tony opened his mouth, ready to argue when he was interrupted by the doorbell. Ada rose an eyebrow at the noise.

 _Since when did we have a doorbell_? she wondered.

They were still on lock down after Tony had given away their location without thinking of the consequences. She knew that anyone could have tracked them down, and, it would have ended in disaster for everyone if they did just that.

"Are we still at 'ding-dong'?" Tony asked incredulously as he led the way up the stairs to the main living room, "Come on, I threatened a terrorist. Who is it?"

He paused as they reached one of the security monitors that showed whoever was standing at the front entrance. Ada crossed her arms once more. At least they had the decency to ring the doorbell rather than tear it down without warning.

"There's only so much I can do when you give the world your home address," Jarvis replied.

Ada frowned when an image of a woman who looked to be in her high thirties appeared on the screen. With short brunette hair and brown eyes, she seemed irritated with waiting for an answer. She glanced at Tony self-consciously when she noticed he'd been staring at the image, as well.

He quickly got into the Iron Man suit and reached the main entrance, opening the door just to raise his arm and aim the repulser at the intruder.

"Right there's fine," he started just as she began walking inside. "You're not the Mandarin, are you? Are you?" he repeated as the brunette looked at him in confusion, before rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"You don't remember me," she let out a quiet huff before looking at Ada warily. Her shoulders were tense as she studied the woman curiously. It was obvious Tony had had a fling with this woman, though, that was likely before he finally got his act together. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"Don't take it personally," Tony snorted in response, almost smirking despite the situation they were in, "I don't even remember what I had for breakfast."

"Glutton free waffles," Ada reminded him without missing a beat.

She was the one who made them, after all. Tony was the one who insisted they start eating healthier diets, and for whatever reason, glutton free waffles had been on his mind at the time.

"Yeah, that's right," he said with a nod.

"Okay, look, I need to be alone with you. Some place that's not here; it's urgent," the woman said after regaining her composure.

That was enough for Ada to glare at her. After everything that had happened, she wasn't planning on trusting the woman right away. Besides, Tony was already in an unstable relationship with Pepper. If she took things out of context, it could only make the rift between them worse.

"Normally, I'd go for that sort of thing, but, I've got a daughter now, and I'm in a committed relationship with—" Tony was abruptly cut off when two bags suddenly fell to the floor beside them. Ada glanced at the stairs in surprise when she spotted Pepper heading down the stairs, looking more annoyed than usual, "It's with her."

"Tony, is someone here?" she asked after joining them.

Tony, luckily, was smart enough to step out of his suit just before she reached them. After the last fiasco with his suit, Ada couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid another fight with Pepper. He was already on thin ice as it was. The last thing he wanted was to make things worse.

"Yeah; it's Maya Hansen," he introduced her to the both of them. Ada just glared back as Maya crossed her arms and studied the two of them. "Old botanist buddy that I used to know, barely." Maya frowned when he called her a botanist. It was painfully obvious that Tony didn't even remember what Maya's main focus was, though, Ada wasn't entirely surprised by that. He wasn't even interested in the conversation, "Please don't tell me there's a twelve-year-old kid waiting in the car that I've never met."

Ada just rolled her eyes at Tony's last remark. After seeing the way he acted before adopting her, and even after, she knew that was a typical response to seeing an old 'friend'. Though, Ada couldn't necessarily blame Tony for feeling so worried. Pepper and Rhodes used to joke that he would one day find himself in such a situation where he was a father.

"He's thirteen," she replied with a knowing smirk. Tony's eyes went wide to the size of full moons. For a moment, it looked as if he was about to panic when Maya quickly mended the situation, "And, no. I need your help."

"Why would you need his help?" Ada asked, narrowing her eyes as she continued glaring at Maya suspiciously. "Who's to say you aren't working for the Mandarin?"

Maya finally looked at her critically. She knew Maya would have heard about her through the media. Whatever Maya thought of her, she didn't care. This woman had no right to automatically assume Tony needed her help, even if he did need some form of said help.

"And, you must be the famous Ada Stark," she remarked, ignoring her question. Ada's fists clenched with outrage as Maya smirked in amusement, "I've heard quite a lot about you over the last few weeks."

"Yeah? Did you hear that I can and will kick your ass if you cross the line?" she snapped.

Tony threw her a warning look, but, Ada ignored it and continued glaring at Maya. She may have put on a good show about wanting to help him, but, something told her not to trust this stranger.

"I've read the papers, Tony, and, frankly, I don't think you'll be able to last the week," Maya went on after looking back at him.

"I'll be fine," Tony reassured her.

"I'm sorry. With Happy in the hospital, I didn't think we were getting any house guests," Pepper apologized after realizing that Tony was trying to leave her out of their conversation.

Ada crossed her arms while shaking her head in disbelief. The tension them was becoming overwhelming. She knew things could escalate into a fight, and, Maya's presence certainly wasn't helping. The woman couldn't have chosen a worse time to randomly pay them a visit.

"No, I don't—"

"And, old girlfriends," Pepper cut Maya off before she could explain herself.

Just when it seemed like things couldn't get any worse, the two started bickering. Ada swallowed hard when she noticed that one of the security alarms were going off. She hadn't missed that Tony was ignoring the threat that was quickly imposing itself upon them.

"Guys," she tried intervening before the threat reached them.

"Do we need to worry about that?" Maya's voice finally seemed to catch their attention.

A bomb was headed in their direction. Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when the mansion was suddenly hit, causing the ground to shake violently. Everything around them began exploding. Glass shattered around Ada, and she winced as a piece grazed her arm as she tried blocking the worst of the explosion.

She acted upon sheer instinct, forming a barricade of whatever cement lay around her. The biggest challenge was making sure the mansion didn't slide down the cliff. She was determined to make sure that everyone got out alive before it could slide down into the ocean.

"I've got you!"

Relief swept through Ada at the sound of Pepper's voice. Her teeth ground together as she focused on maintaining her powers, making sure that she kept the mansion from falling apart during the landslide. She'd already failed in keeping Happy safe from the Mandarin's attacks. She wasn't going to let the same thing happen to the rest of her family.

"I got you first. Like I said, we can't stay here," Tony replied.

Once she was sure Tony managed to get Pepper out of the debris, Ada cleared the barricade and started firing balls of fire at the helicopters surrounding the mansion. Most of them were just hovering there, but, a couple were firing shots at their intended targets.

"Ada, you need to get out of there!"

Pepper's shout made Ada flinch while she was throwing a piece of cement at one of the helicopters. Though it was a sloppy aim, the cement managed to hit one of the blades and cause it to lose balance.

"Pepper's right, Ada. I can't take down those helicopters with you there," Tony added.

Ada whirled around in time to see him standing nearby, crouching to the ground as he tried steadying himself. A gaping hole had appeared on the side of the mansion where the bomb hit. She could already feel the mansion slipping as she struggled to maintain control. Panic suddenly swept through her when she realized that she was the one responsible for it sliding down the cliff.

"I can't control it," she whispered, her voice shaken with dread as Tony's eyes widened with realization.

She barely had time to react when the Iron Man suit suddenly latched itself to her. The world around her was beginning to blur as the suit carried her away, despite her feeble attempts at helping. Seconds later, and the suit dropped her off near Pepper, who clung onto her as the suit disengaged.

Time suddenly felt as if it slowed down as Ada watched helplessly while Tony tried taking down the helicopters one by one. He managed to take down one with the suit, and quickly dodged another as it began firing bullets. He wasted no time in trying to destroy the second helicopter.

All she could do was gape at the horrifying scene when the second helicopter suddenly careened towards the falling mansion, colliding into it. The impact caused the building to collapse immediately, with Tony still inside it.

Ada felt her stomach drop with terror as she wrenched herself from Pepper's grip. She ran towards the ledge of the cliff, suddenly wishing that it had been her inside the mansion rather than him.

"Dad!"

Her heart sank even further when no response followed. Finally fed up with waiting, Ada jumped down into the ocean without hesitation. She could already hear Pepper's shouting from above as her body slammed into the water. Almost immediately, an icy cold gripped her body as she swam towards the debris.

Yet, that wasn't what shocked her the most. Ada's eyes widened in disbelief when she noticed a barrier forming around her. She was hardly aware at the time that her power over the water meant she could protect herself from drowning.

Shaking her head at the realization, Ada moved faster as she noticed a faint light in the inky darkness. She had no doubt that was from the Iron Man suit. It had to be.

 _Please let him be okay_ , she silently begged as she pushed further.

She managed to use the water to pull herself towards the suit that now became clearer. Once Ada reached the suit, she wrapped her arm around it protectively before pulling them both towards the surface. That was easier said than done, as she soon began to realize. Because his suit was so heavy, it made pulling the armor difficult due to the density of the water.

She had to move carefully to avoid causing further damage to the already cracked and dented suit. She had no doubt that he'd taken in water, and likely no longer had control over the suit. Unfortunately, that was when things had begun going wrong.

The surface had begun appearing when the air bubbles surrounding her began to fade. Just as she managed to reach the surface, she was gasping for air. Her lungs ached from holding her breath. A dull throbbing in the back of her head left her feeling dizzy as black spots appeared at the edge of her vision.

It wasn't until feeling a pair of arms wrap around her that she realized Tony had regained consciousness. Her heart was pounding in her chest as he flew out of the ocean and landed back on the cliff nearby. Before she could say anything, he flew away and left her standing there, trembling in disbelief.

Ada felt her stomach twist a little when she realized too late that he was gone. And, something in the back of her mind told her that he wouldn't be coming back, anytime soon.

* * *

 **AN: Hopefully the last part of this chapter wasn't too rushed... It's been ages since I've seen IM3... I really need to watch it again. Also, as you can plainly see from the chapter title, I'm terrible at naming chapters XD  
**


	45. Chapter Forty Five

**Chapter Forty Five**

Ada sat perched on the rocky cliff where the workshop Tony used to spend so much time in once stood. She looked down below where the debris had fallen just a day ago. The attack seemed like ages ago, even though it had only been a day since the mansion was destroyed. She'd made a quick recovery from the initial shock of the attack. Once fully recovered, she returned to the site of the mansion to see how much they lost. To her relief, Pepper decided to stay behind and manage the media as they demanded answers to what had happened.

She let out a quiet sigh as she leaned back.

Christmas was only a couple of days away. She knew the press would go crazy over finding out what had happened to the mansion. The public would panic after finding out that Tony was gone. The Mandarin attacks were only getting worse with each passing day. Something in the back of her mind told her that the wisest choice would be to ask for help.

She doubted Tony would have thanked her if she called SHIELD for help. Besides, she wasn't in any hurry to get an earful from Fury again. No, this was something she needed to do on her own.

Tony had been planning on booking a trip to Rosehill, Tennessee. With transportation in such short supply, a plane was her next best choice. He'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't want her going with him. Yet, Ada couldn't ignore the fact that the Mandarin was responsible for this most recent attack. Everything had gotten personal, and she wasn't about to forgive the Mandarin for everything he'd done. Her fists clenched at the thought as raw determination swept through her.

She was about to turn and leave when she noticed she was no longer alone. Her heart nearly skipped a beat as she realized said new arrival happened to be someone she wasn't expecting to see after the battle of Manhattan.

"Look, I know after everything that's happened, I'm the last person you want to see—"

"Coulson? How the fuck are you alive?" she practically shouted after cutting him off. Coulson wasn't the least bit surprised with her reaction. Seeing him alive again left her reeling with confusion and anger. "We were told that you were killed during the battle on the Hellicarrier!"

He winced at the accusation in her tone. Of all the people she was expecting to see again, he was the least. She hadn't seen him die when Loki stabbed her in the chest. Yet, Tony and the others told her that he'd died due to an injury to the hip. Which left her wondering how Fury had gotten away with lying to the team for so long.

"It's a bit of a long story," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as her fists clenched with anger. Her mind was already running a mile a minute to figure out a way to Tennessee. Now, Coulson had to throw this bombshell at her. "I'd prefer explaining it to you somewhere less… conspicuous," he added, gesturing to the busy street behind them.

Ada narrowed her eyes. For a moment, she thought of arguing. But, she knew that wouldn't get her anywhere. Coulson was alive, and, she wanted answers. The only way she would get said answers was by following him, and, something told her that he had a way of getting her to where she needed.

…

"How the hell did you survive if you were attacked by Loki when the Hellicarrier was under attack?" she demanded as they reached what looked like a large plane parked on an airstrip. Coulson had been quiet the whole ride there. The awkward, tense silence was almost overwhelming to Ada as she tried formulating a question that wouldn't explode into a shouting match. Coulson rarely shouted, but, when he did, it was best to avoid him at all costs. "Everyone said you were dead."

"Fury used a bit of your blood along with some therapy at Tahiti to help," Coulson finally explained when they stepped out of the car. Ada narrowed her eyes once more when she realized Fury had used her blood without her consent. To make matters worse, he'd lied to them for all that time. "We had to make it convincing; the team was never going to band together at the rate they were going."

"So, you mean to tell me that all of it was just an act? A ruse to get the team to work together?"

She was fuming with outrage. After the battle of Manhattan, she had blamed herself for his death because it could have been avoided. To find out that he had lived was like a kick in the face.

The worst part was, she doubted Coulson would have shown himself if nothing happened to her father. The only reason he would have gone out of his way to show that he was alive was if there had been some kind of emergency.

"There's an old saying that we used to go by, 'Without sacrifice, there is no victory'," he said after turning to face her. "Ada, I wanted to tell you and the rest of the team since the battle. Fury was the one who ordered everyone involved to keep it quiet."

She swallowed hard. Everything was happening too fast. She felt her head beginning to spin with the realization that Coulson was alive, and that he had been long before the battle happened. If Fury had ordered him to keep it quiet, there had to be a good reason behind it.

Of course, he could have just been saving his own sorry ass. If the rest of the team found out, there would likely be hell to pay for keeping them in the dark for so long. She knew full-well Tony wouldn't have taken the news that Coulson was still alive lightly. He would have likely reacted the same way she did, if not worse. As for the others, she wasn't sure how they would react. She grimaced at the thought.

Part of her did understand why Coulson was keeping his miraculous recovery a secret. If the world suddenly found out that he was alive, there would be questions asked. People would begin demanding how he was brought back to life, and if SHIELD had been keeping other secrets from them.

"Does anyone else know?" she asked warily.

"Only Romanoff and Barton know," he replied.

"Son of a bitch," she swore under her breath, knowing that was a secret the two assassins would keep.

They were probably the first to find out, given their long history with Coulson. It only made sense that they would know. Being higher-level agents meant they had the right to know the truth. Yet, it still hurt to know they hadn't told anyone else.

"I know this is all a bit much, but we really do need to get going," he sighed after reaching the large plane. Ada eyed the plane warily as she realized that this was some of SHIELD's technology. She'd read bits and pieces of the engineering behind the BUS, and she saw firsthand just how large it was. The plane was designed to travel through the air for long periods of time, without being detected by any satellites or radars. "I've had a team put together during the last month; they may be new, but they're some of the best agents I could put together."

Ada rose an eyebrow as she followed him into the BUS. She wasn't expecting to find the space itself strangely cozy. The hangar bay was filled with all sorts of objects, including the red car that Coulson liked to call 'Lola'. She actually had the privilege of riding with him in Lola on more than one occasion, and she secretly admired the fact that Coulson was so possessive of the car. A quinjet and a helicopter were parked nearby, along with a couple of other smaller cars for transportation.

Coulson didn't waste any time in leading her further into the BUS. She tried taking everything in at once, having only seen pictures of it. She had to admit, she was impressed with how well kept it was. Despite being a plane, it was large enough to house a couple of people at a time without making it seem too small. The tiny windows would take some getting used to, but when they were high up, Ada didn't mind.

"This is your new base?" she asked curiously.

Coulson glanced over his shoulder, and she could have sworn he was trying to hide a grin. He must have been like a kid at the candy shop when Fury offered him the BUS as retribution for keeping his miraculous recovery a secret.

"It's a mobile base," he corrected her. "Figured it would be good for any underground missions we need to take part in. Most people wouldn't ever guess there's so much tech hidden inside."

She gave a slight nod, having already guessed it was something along those lines. Though, her thoughts were cut short when they finally reached what looked like a lab. Ada eyed the lab in surprise when she recognized two agents who were sitting at a work table, working on what looked like a gun. Two other agents were approaching the lab after finding out that Coulson had returned. One was an agent Ada had heard about through Coulson, and the other was a young looking brunette around her age standing beside him.

"You're… You're Ada Stark, aren't you?" the brunette asked. Her eyes widened in amazement after seeing Ada for the first time, while the man standing beside her, Grant Ward, rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I've always wanted to meet you in person."

"Ada! It's good to see you again!" Jemma Simmons greeted her immediately after realizing who Coulson brought with him. Both she and Leo Fitz had been so distracted with their project that they didn't notice the new arrivals. Though, that hadn't surprised Ada. She knew what they were like when it came to new projects – they would often get so focused that they didn't realize they were no longer alone, or they would forget anyone else was in the room with them. "It's been ages."

"Yeah, it has been," Ada nodded in agreement, feeling more than relieved to see a couple of familiar faces. Jemma and Leo had worked alongside herself and Jimmy during a few of their projects. She had seen firsthand what they were capable of when it came to engineering. Both were geniuses in their own rights, and they had designed more than a few weapons that were now commonly used during field missions. She glanced at the brunette, who had been staring at her for the last few seconds now. "Sorry; it's been a rough last couple of days."

"I've heard," Grant replied, crossing his arms as he studied her cautiously, "What happened to the mansion?"

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as memories of the other day came rushing back. She could still picture the look of horror written across Tony's face when he realized they were under attack. The feeling of water rushing around her as she struggled to bring them both back to the surface sent shivers of unease through her. The terror and reality of drowning had gripped her like an iron vice, and she knew that it could have easily happened if Tony hadn't reacted the way he did.

"The Mandarin attacked us," she explained, feeling the familiar lump in her throat. Coulson gently placed a hand on her shoulder as she looked down at the floor, feeling a rush of guilt and shame crawl through her. "I couldn't control my powers… Tony… dad, he could be—"

"We're going to make sure that he isn't," Coulson reassured her, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Ada looked at him in surprise, and it took everything she had not to break down in that moment. She nearly lost everything because she'd lost control. She knew it was a real possibility, and the idea of hurting everyone she cared about left her wishing a hole would open up and swallow her. "You didn't lose control, Ada. The ground was already unstable when those missiles hit the cliff. None of it was your fault."

 _That's easy for you to say; you weren't there at the time_ , she retorted silently. There wasn't any point in arguing against logic. Besides, Coulson might have been right. She had no idea of telling whether or not she was responsible for the building sinking into the ocean.

"Do you think there's a connection between the Mandarin and the bombs that have been going off?" Jemma chose to cut through the awkward silence that followed.

Ada was thankful that Grant had led the woman known as Skigh out of the lab. She wasn't in the mood to deal with someone staring at them the whole time, especially when they had work to do. She did feel slightly guilty for pushing the brunette aside like that. But they had work to do. The sooner they got this mess taken care of, the better off everyone would be.

"Dad and I were running some research on the sites that were targeted. The first one was in Rosehill, Tennessee," she explained warily, "The strange thing was, there wasn't any bomb casings for that attack, either. Just like all the others."

"Then, that's where we need to go," Coulson concluded with a nod.

Ada rose an eyebrow at that. After planning on visiting the town herself, she knew that this was the next best bet at getting a ride. Once he'd gotten the coordinates of their location, he headed off to the cockpit.

"Who was the new girl with Ward?" she asked once he was gone.

"Her name is Skye," Leo replied before Jemma could. "Yeah, Coulson nabbed her when she managed to hack into SHIELD's database."

That was enough to catch Ada's attention. Though Tony managed to hack into SHIELD's database, it was rare for others to do so. She knew of only a handful of people who were capable of hacking into such a highly secured database, and, it suddenly left her feeling unnerved that someone unknown to SHIELD did so.

"Any idea why?" she asked, leaning against the lab table as she studied whatever they were working on.

It looked like a prototype weapon of some sort, and it was obvious they had just been finishing the first testing phase.

"About the only reasons we were able to summarize was that she worked for a group known as the Rising Tide," Jemma replied with a shrug. "Though, she doesn't exactly trust us enough to tell us the truth."

 _Well, I can see why_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes. After getting plucked off the streets without any warning, Ada could understand Skye's reluctance to trust them. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Coulson returned to the lab, with both Skye and Ward close behind. The pair seemed close, though Ada hadn't missed how on edge Ward was around the small group. About the only thing she heard of Ward was that he preferred working alone rather than in groups. She was surprised that he agreed to work with Coulson's team.

"The coordinates were set to Rosehill, Tennessee," Coulson explained when he reached them, "Are you sure this is where he'd likely be?"

"That was the last location he had set with Jarvis," she replied with a curt nod. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she thought of how resilient Tony was. Even if the mansion had been destroyed, and he'd left everyone, she couldn't shake off the feeling that he was still alive. He was too stubborn to die, as far as she was concerned. "From what we were able to gather, the victims of the bombings were all part of the military."

Jemma furrowed her brows together thoughtfully. Though they hadn't discussed how the attacks occurred, Ada had mentioned how their bodies glowed a sickly orange before the explosion followed. She'd seen the heat radiating from their glowing hands and face. And while they may not have meant to cause such an attack, it was possible they had no control over the explosions.

"We'll continue running research on these explosions, and see what's causing them," Leo stated as he caught Jemma's eye.

"Good. Maybe we can find a way to stop them, and the Mandarin," Coulson put in. "Once we get to Rosehill, you need to investigate whatever it was your father was interested in."

Ada gave another nod of agreement to those terms. They needed to put an end to these attacks. The Mandarin's most recent attack was just another reminder of how vulnerable they really were. And, that they were more than determined to keep the world safe from people like him. Whether it cost them their lives or not.

* * *

 **AN: It's been ages since I've last seen Agents of SHIELD... Hopefully I didn't completely ruin the characters from the show, but I apologize in advance if I did /: I've also changed my schedule to every Saturday if possible, seeing as I've already reached the halfway point of this story... or at least part of the halfway point. At any rate, please review! And, gently let me know what you thought of this chapter (I'm still not sure what I think of it; I know it could be better)...**

 **Also, that quote 'without sacrifices, there are no victories' is kind of a homage to the Transformers series. I thought it was an appropriate line, given the circumstances :)**


	46. Chapter Forty Six

**Chapter Forty Six**

" _Looking back on all the wreckage All I see is their faces How many hearts have I broken? And tell me, are they still breaking? I went looking for attention, In all the wrong places I was needing a redemption, Get me out of these cages..._ " - Cages, NEEDTOBREATHE

* * *

Rosehill, Tennessee.

It was a small town, with a quaint looking main street and several buildings surrounding the outskirt. Snow coated most of the area in a thick blanket. The cold wind that picked up was enough to send a shiver through Ada as she pulled over her heavy coat. She had been warned that it would be cold. With winter in full-swing, she was hardly surprised by the bitter winds that seemed ever-present. She was thankful she heeded Coulson's warning, though.

After dressing in several layers of clothes and making sure she had everything she needed, she set out to the location Tony had planned. He'd written down coordinates for the town itself, but not for the location of the attack.

And, that was where her problem lay at the moment. She didn't know where that location happened to be. She knew there was a memorial dedicated to the lives that were lost during the attack. But, without a map or a working GPS, she found herself getting hopelessly lost.

Letting out a small sigh, Ada slowly made her way through the heavy snow and struggled to maintain her composure. That alone was difficult with how cold it was. She wasn't used to it. Having grown up where it was usually warm, dry and almost summer all-year-round, she wasn't a fan of the cold.

She shivered, and she decided to start with asking the locals where the site happened to be located. If anyone was going to have knowledge on what had happened, the locals would know. Besides, getting to know the townsfolk would give her a better idea of what to look for when it came to investigating.

The good news was, people weren't in short supply in this town. While the snow kept most people inside, there were a couple who were braving the storm and dressed in full gear. She managed to stop a couple and ask where the site happened to be, and once they pointed her in the right direction, she carefully made her way there.

Not for the first time, Ada found herself thinking of how Christmas right around the corner. Seeing the decorated houses reminded her of how much she was missing, now. Another shiver swept through her as she tried picturing where Pepper was, and Happy and Rhodes, along with the rest of the team. All she could hope for was that they were safe, and that nothing had happened to them.

Shaking her head at the thought, Ada followed the directions one of the locals had pointed out and finally found the site in question.

Ada swallowed hard, not missing the fact that there were five shadows covering the wall rather than six. The explosion had occurred just a few weeks ago due to a suicide bomber. Though, the more she glimpsed of the site, the more she began to notice something wasn't adding up.

"So, what's the official story here? What happened?"

Her heart nearly skipped a beat at the familiar sound of Tony's voice. She turned around to see two figures approaching the same spot. Sucking in a breath, Ada moved quickly to avoid being spotted. Though she was more than relieved that Tony was alive, she couldn't let him see her just yet.

"I guess this guy named Chad Davis used to live roundabouts, won a bunch of metals in the army. One day, folks said he went crazy and made, you know, a bomb. Then, he blew himself up right here," a kid with curly brown hair walking alongside Tony, explained.

For the first time since leaving the BUS, Ada suddenly felt overwhelmed with a rush of emotions.

Tony was alive. He was alive, and walking with some kid who barely looked over ten. What amazed her the most was that the kid seemed perfectly happy with it, if not ecstatic that Tony was tolerating him. Though she wasn't entirely surprised with that notion. Tony had changed a lot since he adopted her. He'd become more tolerant around kids, and he'd even proven on more than one occasion how dedicated he was as a father.

"Six people died, right?" Tony asked.

By now, Ada's hands were trembling as she continued watching. She knew he wouldn't likely be happy that she was there. Yet, realizing that he was alive left her heart racing a mile a minute. She was utterly relieved to see that he'd survived, and he was still investigating the Mandarin's attacks.

"Yeah," the kid replied with a nod.

"Including Chad Davis?"

"Yeah."

Ada rose an eyebrow at the kid's lack of conversation. He just might have been overwhelmed with the fact that Tony was with him. Whatever the case, she had to think of a way to step in before things could get anymore awkward than they were.

"Yeah. That doesn't make any sense," Tony cut in just as the kid opened his mouth to say something. He sat down on a nearby bench, still unaware that she was watching from a safe distance, "Think about it; six dead, only five shadows."

 _Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of that_ , Ada thought, nearly rolling her eyes at Tony's comment.

"Yeah, well, the people said these shadows are like the mark of souls gone to heaven. Except the bomb guy. He went to hell on a count of he didn't get a shadow. That's why there's only five."

That was enough for Ada to stiffen in surprise. She knew he was just a kid, and likely believed everything people told him. Though, it might have been better for his sake that he believed their story. She couldn't imagine dragging a little kid into this mess. He was far too young to experience anything like that.

Swallowing hard, Ada finally decided to take the initiative and step out of her hiding place. After everything that happened, seeing Tony again face-to-face was something she needed now more than ever. Especially after hearing from the news that he'd been killed when the mansion was destroyed.

"Ada?" Tony's eyes widened in disbelief as he finally spotted her. She hadn't missed the fact that he looked as if he'd seen a ghost. The kid standing nearby just stared at them, eyes widening in surprise as he realized who she was, "My God, I thought you… I thought you were killed."

Tony suddenly sat up, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. Ada stiffened once again from the initial contact. Tony rarely showed his emotions in front of others. Though it was purely out of habit, she understood why. She finally returned the gesture, feeling more than relieved that he was okay.

"What the hell, dad?" she choked out after pushing him away, " _I_ thought you were dead! I… Pepper and everyone else—"

"Are safe," he cut her off before she could finish. Tony hadn't released his grip on her, though he did wipe away a tear rolling down her cheek after noticing that she had started crying, "Look, I didn't want you going after me."

"I know… I know you don't think I can handle myself out there," she muttered, dropping her gaze.

"Ada, believe me, I know you can handle yourself." Ada blinked in surprise when Tony finally let her go. She sucked in a breath as she saw the sincerity in his eyes, and that he looked equally relieved to know that she was okay, "It's my job as a dad to worry about you. It always has been."

She couldn't hide the small smile that followed.

For the first time since the 'Mandarin' had become a problem, she understood why Tony had been so overprotective. Though it didn't make her life any easier regarding what decisions were made, at least she understood the reasons behind his behavior.

"You're Ada Stark?" the kid finally spoke up.

"The one and only," she replied with a nod. Ada glanced at Tony as he stood up, brushing a bit of snow off his pants. By now, the kid looked as if he was ready to burst with excitement when he realized there was not just one, but, two Stark's in his presence. "Who's the kid?"

"Harley," he introduced himself with a meek smile.

Ada rose an eyebrow at that, before glancing at Tony once more. His expression was impossible to make out as he studied her. She suddenly felt self-conscious under his questioning gaze. It was enough for her to look down at the ground sheepishly as she tried brushing off the sudden unease that followed.

Not for the first time, Ada found herself wondering how he would react to finding out Coulson was alive. She'd promised Coulson that she would keep his miraculous recovery a secret. Not just for his sake, but that of the rest of the team as well. She knew Tony wouldn't react well to the realization that Coulson had lived. To make matters worse, he would likely try and figure out what SHIELD really did to keep him alive in the first place.

"By the way, how did you end up here?" Tony asked curiously.

"Boss sent me here to investigate the site," she explained with a shrug. "We managed to find some information on the project we were studying."

Tony gave a slight nod at the mention of 'project'. The last thing Ada wanted was for Harley to find out about SHIELD. Or that they were here to investigate the Mandarin's involvement with the recent attacks.

"The guy who died… relatives? Mom? Mrs. Davis, where is she?" Tony asked, looking down at Harley.

"Where she always is," Harley replied.

"See, now you're being helpful," Tony pointed out with a knowing smirk. He looked between Harley and Ada, and she could already see the order forming in his eyes before he said it out loud, "You're staying here with Harley until I get this sorted out."

"The hell I am," she snapped. Ada crossed her arms and glared back defiantly. Try as he might, Tony wasn't going to keep her out of the firefight. If he planned on confronting the issue head-on, then she planned on being there to support him, "I'm not letting you order me around like a little kid."

Not for the first time, Tony was ready to argue when he finally seemed to think better of it. Even if he managed to find a way to keep her from following him, she would still find some way to get involved with the Mandarin. He knew her well enough now to understand that she wanted to help him, and, had the power to do so.

Once it became clear that he wasn't going to deter her from following him, Tony finally gestured for her to follow through the heavy snow.

"You know, I remember a time when I was able to order you around, and you'd actually listen," he half-grumbled and muttered at the same time.

Ada only smirked and threw him a knowing look, "Yeah, and those were the worst years of my life, if I remember correctly," she countered.

Tony just stuck his tongue out at her, and it took everything she had not to laugh at his pouty expression. Despite the fact that their lives really were in danger, Tony always seemed to have a way of making everything a little better.

It wasn't until they reached the bar Harley pointed out that things started getting serious. While Tony rarely took anything seriously, Ada soon began to notice that he was more tense than usual. After the Mandarin incident, she couldn't necessarily blame him for finally taking this threat seriously.

She was ready to say something when he suddenly bumped into someone at the entrance of the bar, "Sorry," he apologized after regaining his composure.

Ada eyed the woman warily, aware that she'd dropped something in the process, "Miss, you uh… dropped this," she said once she picked the object up and handed it over.

"Thank you," the woman offered what appeared to be a genuine smile. Yet, the moment she did that was when Ada noticed the scars covering her arms. Her sheer instinct was to flinch at the sight, and it took everything she had not to. Working with SHIELD taught her to deal with scars. In their line of work, scars were inevitable. "An accident; happened a long time ago."

"Nice haircut. Suits you," Tony said stiffly.

The tone of his voice left Ada glancing between the pair as she wondered how the woman would react to that. Her hair looked wild and tangled, and as if she hadn't taken care of it over the last few weeks. Though, instead of taking his response as an insult, the woman simply regarded the watch he was currently wearing.

"Nice watch," she retorted.

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Ada hardly realized that the watch Tony was wearing happened to be a limited edition _Dora the Explorer_ watch. She almost smirked at the sight, knowing that was probably the last thing he wanted to wear, and that it had been a gift from Harley.

"Yeah, limited edition," he replied without missing a beat.

"Oh, I don't doubt that." There was a pause, and, Ada suddenly felt very uncomfortable under the woman's piercing gaze. Try as she might, there was something almost unsettling about the way she lingered there in the silence. "Well, have a good day."

A shiver swept through Ada as the woman waved and left them. There wasn't something right about that woman, and, it was unnerving to think about. She tried casting the uneasy thoughts aside as she followed Tony into the bar, ignoring the looks a few customers were already giving her.

She'd been to enough bars over the last couple of months to know what they were like. This one wasn't too bad, with country music playing softly in the background and people talking loudly to one another. It reeked of alcohol and old vomit, though, and, that was enough of a reminder why she didn't spend too much time at any establishment.

Tony had already reached a table where a woman was sitting alone with a drink in hand. Once he reached the table, Ada kept her distance and managed to overhear what they were talking about. The last thing she wanted was to make the woman suspicious or nervous around them, especially if she felt as if she was being surrounded.

"Mrs. Davis, do you mind if I join you?" Tony asked when he reached her table.

The woman eyed him up and down, as if scrutinizing his every move. Ada kept glancing over her shoulder as she sat at a table not far from them, hoping to look as inconspicuous as possible. She wasn't exactly old enough to be at the bar in the first place. But being with Tony had its perks. She had quickly learned how to blend in with the crowd when it was necessary.

"Free country," she replied with a shrug.

Her voice was already a little slurred, and,Ada couldn't help but eye her warily after realizing she'd already had a few too many drinks.

"Yeah, it is," Tony nodded in response before taking a seat.

"Alright. Where'd you like to start?"

The woman's straight-to-the-point question caught Ada by surprise. She wasn't expecting her to get down to business right away. Though, she was probably hoping to get them out of her hair as quickly as possible so that she could go back to drinking.

 _That's not the way I'd wanna spend my Christmas_ , she thought with a slight wrinkle of her nose. Though, she understood why Mrs. Davis had been drinking so often. It was obvious she was using the grief of her slain husband as an excuse to drink away her sorrow.

"First off, I just wanna say I'm sorry about your loss," Tony apologized after realizing the woman had beaten him to the bullet, "I want to know what you think happened."

He cast a side glance in Ada's direction, as if hoping for her input. She merely shrugged, already aware that the wrong thing to do now was interfere. The woman may have been drunk off her ass, but, that didn't mean she wasn't suspicious of Tony's presence.

"Look, I brought your damn file. You take it and go," she snapped after narrowing her eyes at Tony. She tossed a manila folder onto the table, pushing it in front of him, "Whatever was in here, he wanted no part of it."

Before Tony could say anything, Ada finally reached over and grabbed the file. She ignored the glare that followed, eyeing the file thoughtfully as she noticed the picture within. A man stood in the picture beside Mrs. Davis, and both looked surprisingly happy.

"Was this taken before he was deployed?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah," the woman replied with a nod.

Tony rose an eyebrow when he began piecing two and two together. Though, Ada had already reached the conclusion that something had happened to her husband while he was serving. She knew that it was somehow connected with the bombing he was involved in.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Tony asked in a whisper as he realized she reached the same conclusion.

Or, at least that was what she hoped.

"That he suffered from post traumatic stress, or, some kind of depression after returning?" she quipped, "And that whoever got a hold of him took advantage of it."

Her father's brows furrowed together at that, telling her that was the last thing on his mind, "Actually, I'm thinking that you clearly were waiting for someone else, yeah?" He turned to the woman, who was watching the pair incredulously when she noticed how close they were.

"Yeah," the woman said with a characteristic snort.

"Well, Mrs. Davis, I can guarantee that your husband wasn't responsible for this attack," Ada cut in before Tony could make things anymore awkward, "Someone was using him."

Not for the first time, she thought of what research they'd found while on the BUS. Though it hadn't been much, they'd discovered a drug known as Extremis that was being passed down to people who served in the military, and suffered from serious injuries. The research itself was too new, but, she knew Jemma and Leo were working their best to figure out what Extremis was about, and the side-effects involved.

"What?" Mrs. Davis frowned after hearing that statement, eyeing both Tony and Ada suspiciously.

"As a weapon," Tony finished, though, Ada doubted that was helping.

"Whoever he had contact with decided to use him as a living weapon, and he paid the price for their greed," she concluded under her breath.

By now, Mrs. Davis had all-but dropped her guard and stared at them as if they were insane. Though, Ada wouldn't have been surprised if people did believe that. After everything that had happened, their lives were pretty much insane.

"You're not the person who called me after all, are you?" she finally asked.

"Actually, I am."

Ada reacted out of sheer instinct when she felt a hand reach over her shoulder. The woman from earlier had suddenly returned, and just as she was about to grab Ada's arm, she wrenched it out of her reach and kicked her square in the shin.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's this all about? What the hell is going on here?" Someone finally reacted from the scene the woman was causing, eyes wide and alert as he tried figuring out who instigated the fight.

"It's called an arrest," the woman explained as she decided to go for an easier target – Tony. She pushed him to the floor after managing to recover from Ada's kick, pulling out a pair of handcuffs while holding him down. "Sheriff, is it?"

She added the last part with a honey-sweet tone, and it took everything Ada had not to roll her eyes in disgust.

"Yes, ma'am, I am. And you are?"

The sheriff eyed the woman cautiously, hand gripping the gun in his pocket holster while Ada glared at her. If this woman was anything like the people who were responsible for the recent attacks, Ada knew she would be dangerous. Getting her out of the bar now before she caused more damage was the best choice she could make.

"Homeland Security," the woman replied, handing out what looked like an official badge.

Ada just snorted at the badge, already seeing a red flag form in the back of her mind, "I'll believe that load of bullshit when I see it," she scoffed, earning a glare from the woman as Tony struggled against his restraints, "My father's done nothing wrong; you can't just arrest someone without proof they've done something wrong."

"She's right; without a warrant, this is illegal," the sheriff nodded in agreement.

The woman let out a huff of frustration when she realized they weren't about to be swayed. Ada hadn't missed the small gesture Tony made to Mrs. Davis to hide the file before the woman could grab it. Luckily, she caught on and did just that, frowning after seeing this was more than just a simple arrest.

"Alright, you know what? I was hoping we could do this the smart way, but, uh… the fun way's always good."

No one was prepared for what happened next. The woman's hand began to glow an eerie, almost hateful shade of red. Ada's stomach twisted with worry as she recognized it as the same glow from the man at the Chinese Theater. The sheriff had already begun trying to gather his men to arrest the woman, but by then, it was too late.

"Ada, get out of here, now!" Tony snapped after realizing too late what was about to happen.

Her mouth opened in the beginning of an argument. She hated being left in the dark, but Tony was right. This wasn't her fight, and the less people who saw her powers in the public, the better off everyone was.

With a final glare at the woman who began turning things into chaos, she ran before things could get any worse. The crowd of spectators moved just in time to avoid getting shoved out of the way. She wasn't in any hurry to get caught in the crossfires, or let them get caught in the crossfire, themselves.

She managed to push her way through the crowd just as the woman from earlier began firing at Tony. As he led her to another building nearby, Ada soon realized that the woman wasn't alone. She'd brought backup, along with Savin, the man responsible for Happy's accident.

"I was wondering when I would get to see your face again, Miss Stark," he sneered after reaching her. Flames instinctively danced along the tip of her fingers as she glared back. After the way he'd left without so much as a scratch during the man's attack on the Chinese theater, she wasn't taking any chances. "The boss wants someone with your abilities on our side."

"Yeah? Well, you can tell him to suck it," she retorted.

Before he could make sense of what she meant, she threw a fireball in his direction. It wasn't enough to hit him, but it left him a reminder that she wasn't an easy target.

"You know, we were quite impressed after finding out what you're capable of," Savin went on as if nothing happened. Ada narrowed her eyes with hate as he looked at her mockingly. "The possibilities are endless, and it would be such a shame to see such talent go to waste."

She was ready to spit something in response when an explosion suddenly racked the area. Ada's eyes widened in alarm as she realized Tony was nowhere to be seen. The woman who had been chasing him was gone as well. Her heart lurched with panic as she noticed the building nearby was now up in flames, and collapsing under from the heat.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you take me after everything you've done?" she snapped, hoping to regain her composure.

Savin's smirk told her that he didn't buy it one bit, "Oh, I think you will… after all, you wouldn't want us hurting your daddy, would you?"

Fury swept through her at the mention of Tony. They'd already caused enough damage by hurting innocent people. The last thing she wanted was for Tony to get hurt along the way. Though he could take more than a few hits, she knew she could have easily prevented it from happening. Her fists clenched at the thought. As much as she hated to admit it, giving herself up would at least buy Tony enough time to slip away and finish the job, once and for all. Hopefully by then, these people would be taken care of by SHIELD.

"Alright," she finally relented, ignoring the look of surprise that followed, "I'll go, but only if you promise to leave this town and my father alone."

"We have a deal," Savin replied without missing a beat.

Though, one look told her that this was far from over. Ada swallowed hard, and sent a silent prayer that Tony would get his act together before things went from bad to worse.

* * *

 **AN: I understand that this chapter is worlds different from the movie. To anyone who may still be reading this (I know you are; the views on the legacy stat don't lie), I apologize if that throws you off. I'd love to hear some feedback on how this is going. I've also been thinking of writing one-shots revolving around Ada and the team, but I wouldn't mind getting requests from the readers if they're interested. So, with that being said, please let me know what you thought of this chapter, and what you think of the one-shot requests :)**

 **Also, the song 'Cages' by NEEDTOBREATHE kind of holds a special place in my heart. They performed it live in concert when we saw them with Mat Kearney, and it was just a beautiful song. If you ever get the chance to hear it, I would highly recommend it. It's worth checking out, along with their other albums.**


	47. Chapter Forty Seven

**Chapter Forty Seven**

" _I feel a change in the atmosphere, I never thought I'd end up back here Divided, alone, afraid In a breath my chains reappear, And I build it all up just to watch it fall down (Nothing left to save, I'm letting go), And I'm digging all up what I've buried underground I'm losing, I'm losing control, I'm losing control..._ " - Losing Control, Red

* * *

There were few things Ada hated more than being held captive.

Savin had blindfolded her the moment she agreed to let him take her rather than hurt Tony or anyone else involved. She knew Tony would eventually catch on to what had happened. The worst part was, this only justified why he didn't want her tagging along in the first place.

The moment the blindfold was torn off was when Ada found herself chained to a bed frame that was perched against a wall.

She struggled to move her wrists, only to feel the chains dig into her skin.

Her eyes narrowed with hate when she finally noticed that she wasn't alone. A man was standing not far from the bed frame with his arms crossed. He smirked in amusement as he watched her failed attempts of breaking free from her restraints. She recognized him within seconds as Aldrich Killian. The outrage from earlier returned at full-force when she recognized him as the same asshole Happy had mentioned before the attack on the Chinese Theater.

"After finding out that there are individuals out there with enhanced powers, I just couldn't bring myself to ignore the fact that you hold so much potential." Killian clasped his hands together and closed the distance between them. "Just what sort of secrets might you be holding?"

"Don't hold your breath, asshole."

She only spat in his face, feeling the small spark of satisfaction when his smirk turned into a scowl.

She should have trusted Happy's instincts. He knew something was wrong with Killian. A lump formed in the back of her throat when Killian glowered, and carefully brushed his hand across her cheek. Though his touch was light, she'd noticed the glowing orange of his fingers that left a burning sensation.

"I wouldn't be so keen to fight back, Miss Stark," he sneered. "After all, I just need to give my word, and I could destroy anything, or _anyone_ , I wanted. I doubt you would want that on your conscious."

A shiver swept through her. Killian's eyes glowed with malice as he looked her up and down. She knew in the back of her mind that he wasn't lying. He was fully capable of hurting thousands of innocent lives, and without feeling any remorse for it.

"What do you want?" she finally demanded.

"What I need is a stabilizing agent," he explained once it became clear she posed no threat. "From what we were able to gather, your people can harness the energy of others around them, and control the elements, among other enhancements. Though you aren't mutants, your powers are similar to theirs, in some way."

For a moment, Ada wanted to ask what he meant by that when realization dawned on her. Few people knew about the Aliquid. Fewer still knew that they had lived on Earth and struggled to survive for so long. A lump formed in the back of her throat as she glared at him.

"How the hell do you know all of that?" she snapped.

"A former colleague of mine knew someone who worked for the Black Knights." Killian's expression was impossible to make out as he studied her thoughtfully. "They were willing to share a few secrets, but only for a price, and only enough for me to know that you have the power to stabilize Extremis."

Another shiver swept through her as she understood where he was getting at. She didn't know much about her own people. Her mother had been reluctant to share any information with her. As if things couldn't get any worse, this asshole planned on using her as some kind of stabilizing agent.

"Sir, Mr. Stark has been captured and is now in our custody," a voice suddenly interrupted him over the intercom.

It took everything she had not to cry out in frustration at the mention of Tony. Her heart lurched with dread as she wondered what the assholes had done to him. Killian's smirk returned in a matter of seconds as he reached for the speaker.

"Good, bring him here and strap him up," he informed his men, "It's time for a family reunion."

All she could do was watch in disbelief as the men he hired dragged an unconscious Tony into the building. Though he didn't look too badly bruised, it was obvious that he'd suffered a few blows. Ada's eyes narrowed with fury when they strapped him to the bed frame beside her.

"It's good to know he isn't as invincible as we first thought," Killian sneered once they'd finished their task.

"You're lucky I can't move, asshole," she snapped, finally allowing anger to get the better of her.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Killian's smirk never left as he reached her. Ada glared back, refusing to back down under his piercing gaze. Before she could spit something in response, Killian suddenly kicked her square in the ribs, sending a jolt of pain through her in the process.

"Go to hell," she rasped, squeezing her eyes shut as she braced herself for the pain that would follow. Killian merely rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving her alone with the guards and an unconscious Tony Stark. "Ass," she muttered under her breath once he was gone.

Seconds seemed to pass before her healing powers kicked in. The pain didn't last much longer after that, and Ada was soon left with trying to figure a way out of this mess. The straps were too tight around her wrists, which meant wriggling herself free wasn't an option. With the bed frame chained to the wall, she couldn't pull herself free, either.

 _What good is having powers if I can't use them to help myself or Tony_? she wondered, glancing in his direction warily. Killian would be back for more. Only next time, she knew he'd use her to try and get to Tony. She couldn't let that happen.

' _Those humans will pay for what they have done_!' Ada's eyes widened at the sound of Nadia's voice. It had been months since the last time she heard her mother's voice. For a while, she thought her mother had left her.

' _Getting angry isn't the answer_ ,' she snapped. Ada squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to push the overwhelming sense of fear beginning to take over. ' _What's the point of having the ability to communicate if you only do it every so often_?'

Nadia was silent for a few seconds. For a moment, Ada was afraid she wouldn't respond.

' _It takes a great deal of energy for me to communicate_ ,' Nadia finally answered, this time in a softer tone.

Ada bit back a sigh of relief when she realized it wasn't because she no longer needed her. The truth of it was, she longed to hear her mother's voice. Anything to know that her mother had been a real person, and that she was still with her in spirit.

' _I lost control back at the mansion,_ ' she thought bitterly. ' _I shouldn't have_ … _I could have killed them if that happened_.'

' _You were afraid_.' Though it wasn't the response Ada had been hoping for, she could sense the guilt and concern in her mother's voice. ' _Ada, we drawl power through our emotions. The more we feel, the stronger we become. You must control your emotions, or you will soon be overwhelmed by your powers_.'

"What the hell is goin' on with your necklace?" Ada stiffened when one of the guards suddenly spoke, cutting through their conversation. She only glared back after noticing that they had abandoned their game of cards and were now watching her closely. "Jewelry ain't supposed to glow like that."

"I believe it's called devising an escape plan," she retorted, rolling her eyes when the guard who spoke reached for a gun. "And before you try and shoot me, ask yourself this, 'What would your boss think if you shot the one prize he was looking for'?"

She knew she was pushing her limits. These idiots could and would likely kill her without a moment's hesitation.

Luckily, the guard finally seemed to think twice about his plan. Scowling in annoyance, he set aside the gun on the desk and reached her, "You wanna try sayin' that again, kid?" he taunted after slapping her across the face.

The sting was just another reminder of why she needed to get away. Anything was better than dealing with imprisonment.

"I said, I'm looking for a way out," she repeated herself, "Or, are you incapable of figuring out what that means?"

"What are you doing?" Before the guard to slap her again, a newcomer arrived.

Her heart sank lower when she realized the newcomer in question was the same woman who stopped by the mansion just a day ago. Maya Hansen. The brunette was looking between the guard and Ada as if expecting an explanation to what they were doing.

"This little bi—" The second guard let out a tiny cough before he could continue that statement. Ada nearly rolled her eyes once more at the way he glowered, "This little _brat_ is askin' for a death sentence," he quickly corrected himself.

"That _little brat_ is the key to stabilizing Extremis," Maya reminded him with a pointed look. "Unless you want to be responsible for a major setback, I suggest you back down and leave her be."

She grimaced when Maya looked at her thoughtfully. Somehow, she wasn't surprised Maya had been working for Killian. If she was as desperate to stabilize Extremis as Killian sounded, it made sense that the two of them would start working together.

"This little brat isn't about to be your lab rat," she muttered under her breath. Maya opened her mouth, ready to say something when the chains beside her began to rattle. Ada glanced in Tony's direction once more, grimacing after she noticed he'd finally woken.

"Just like old times, huh?" Maya deadpanned when Tony regained consciousness. She sat down in a chair, looking quite smug with herself as Tony struggled to regain his bearings.

"Oh, yeah, with zip-ties and all," Tony grimaced, shaking his head, "It's a ball."

"It wasn't my idea." Though, it was obvious Maya played a big part in all of it. Ada eyed the screen she was sitting in front of curiously. She could only just make out the images of what looked like plants on the screen.

"Okay, you took Killian's card," Tony sighed after realizing why she was there in the first place.

His eyes widened when he finally noticed that Ada was strapped to the bed frame beside him. She was suddenly thankful that they weren't alone in the room. She knew she was in for an earful when this was over, if not from Fury, then surely from Tony.

"I took his money," Maya corrected him.

"And here you are, thirteen years later in a dungeon."

Ada finally swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. There was a time for desperation, and a time for being tactful. She could remember hearing Natasha mention that during their sparring sessions. Though she never knew at the moment what Natasha meant by it, now, she was beginning to understand. At this point, Tony was hoping to persuade Maya into changing her mind about who she worked for. She hadn't missed how desperate Maya had been for help back at the mansion. It was possible she could have been trying to save Tony from whatever hell Killian would later put him through. Whatever the case, Ada secretly hoped the plan would work.

"A lot has happened, Tony, but I'm close. Extremis is practically stable," she explained after they finished talking like they were old friends.

"Yeah, you might be wrong about that," Ada deadpanned. She ignored the warning look Tony threw her as Maya eyed her thoughtfully, "Look, people are literally blowing up in the streets because they can't stabilize themselves. Their bodies are rejecting Extremis in the worse possible way, and innocent people are suffering the consequences."

"Then help me fix it," Maya snapped.

Before Ada could argue, she pulled out a business card from her pocket with the words, 'You know who I am' written across it.

"Did I do that?" Tony frowned in confusion while Maya let out a sigh of frustration.

 _He can barely remember what he did for breakfast, let alone something that happened thirteen years ago_ , Ada thought with a snort of amusement. Maya was clearly disappointed in Tony's lack of interest towards her work.

"Yes," she muttered irritably.

"I remember the night… not the morning," Tony started, frowning deeper as he tried referring to what had happened that night, "Is this what you've been chasing around?"

"You don't remember," she crossed her arms and looked at him in disbelief.

"I can't help you. You used to have a moral psychology. You used to have ideals. You wanted to help people, and now look at you." Tony paused to let this sink in, and Maya's expression began to waver as he looked at Ada pointedly, "I get to wake up every morning with a beautiful daughter, and woman, who both still have their souls." Ada couldn't help but look back, suddenly aware of the tension rising between the two of them, "Get us out of here."

Maya's expression finally began to waver for the first time. Ada watched as guilt and regret flashed across her eyes. For a moment, it looked as if she was on the verge of tears. But, the moment didn't last long as Killian intervened, walking in before Maya could change her mind.

"You know what my old man used to say to me?" he started after clasping his hands together, "One of his many sayings, 'The early bird gets the worm, but the mouse gets the cheese'."

It didn't take Killian long to reach Ada's bed frame. She refused to make eye contact when Killian looked her up and down, as if inspecting his prey. The moment Tony began struggling against his restraints was when Killian's smirk widened in amusement.

"You're not still stressed about that Switzerland thing, are you?" Tony tried stalling him out, though Ada knew it wouldn't take much for Killian to see through it. As if being strapped to a bed frame wasn't bad enough, Killian brushed a finger across her cheek to make a point.

"How can I be pissed with you?" Killian asked with a mocking grin, "Because of you, I now have the secret to making Extremis more powerful than ever. And, you gave me something else that's equally as effective: Desperation. If you think back to Switzerland, you said you'd meet me on the rooftop, right? Well for the first twenty minutes, I actually thought you'd show up. And the next hour, I… well I considered taking that one step shortcut to the lobby, if you know what I mean."

"Too bad you didn't take the chance," Ada grumbled under her breath.

Though she hated the idea of suicide, and would have kicked herself for saying it to anyone else, his decision would have saved them all this trouble.

"Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what happened to the first mouse," Tony muttered.

Killian only shook his head and walked away towards the center of the room. The relief Ada felt after his sudden departure was short-lived when she noticed he wasn't in any hurry to leave them. He still had a speech to give, and the reason behind his attacks.

"But, as I looked out over that city, nobody knew I was there. Nobody could see me, no one was even looking." Unease swept through Ada as she guessed where this was headed. The familiar pang of guilt followed as she wondered if his life would have been different had someone reached out to him. "I had a thought that would guide me for years to come. Anonymity, Tony. Thanks to you, it's been my mantra ever since, right? You simply rule behind the scenes."

He paused to let this sink in, and realization finally dawned on Ada. Her heart began to race with dread when she understood that he was the one behind all of the attacks. Though the Mandarin put on a good show, it was Killian pulling the strings.

"The Mandarin was just a puppet to you." Her statement was enough for Killian to nod in agreement.

"Because the second you give evil a face, Bin Laden, Gaddafi, the Mandarin, you hand the people a target," he explained.

"And all you have to do is sit around and wait as they hunt the target down," Ada finished for him, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

She suddenly understood why Killian had sprung the Mandarin into power in the first place. He needed the distraction while they continued working on the Extremis. If someone lost control, he could just use the Mandarin as an excuse to throw people off his scent.

"Your daughter's far more intelligent than I expected," Killian stated after reaching her once more. "Though, I suppose you can't take all the credit for that, seeing as she's adopted."

The chains from Tony's bed frame began rattling louder than ever when Killian reached out with his hand, brushing his fingers across her cheek. The only thing she could do was spit in his face, and possibly bite his finger if he tried anything else.

"Hurt her, and it's the last thing you'll regret doing," Tony snapped.

Killian suddenly let out a laugh, catching them both by surprise.

"Well, I guess the media was wrong about you being a terrible parent," he chuckled after deciding to leave her alone. Her shoulders sagged in relief – the last thing she wanted was to deal with his psychotic behavior. "I wanted to offer you a small gift in return for what you brought me."

Neither Ada or Tony said a thing as Killian threw out a couple of spherical looking devices onto the floor. She guessed from the design of the objects that they were holograms of some sort. Though, the technology was too new to make out. It was only until an image appeared in front of them that Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat with horror.

Pepper was strapped to an exam table. Her body was glowing the same sickly orange that Killian's had just seconds ago. Though, what really made Ada wish she could punch Killian in the face was the fact that her face was twisted in agony. It was obvious that the process had caused a great deal of pain, and it wouldn't get better anytime soon.

"And, if it gives up, I have to say the denotation is… it's quite spectacular. But until that point, it's really just a lot of pain." Ada forced back the vile that threatened to overwhelm her as he turned off the devices. "We haven't even talked salary yet." This time he walked over to Tony, grabbing him by the throat as he tried in vain to free himself. "What kind of perk package are you thinking of? Hm?"

This time, Ada began struggling against her restraints. She knew Tony could hold out for a while longer if he needed to. But, to know that Pepper was suffering from the effects of Extremis was too much. She needed to break free from her restraints, and give Killian a piece of her mind.

Finally, one of the chains broke free after she yanked her wrist out. The pain from the wire cutting through her skin was enough for her teeth to grind together, but she tried to ignore as she worked her other wrist free.

"Let him go!" Maya's shout was enough for Ada to stop mid-struggle. Her heart began racing for a whole different reason when she noticed Maya had reached for the gun that the guard left behind, "Let him go, now, or she dies!"

Both men turned to look at her, before Killian looked in Ada's direction. He hardly looked surprised that she managed to wriggle free of one cuff. The other was still latched around her wrist, and as she moved in a desperate attempt to free herself, Maya's hand gripped the gun harder.

"I said let them go!" she repeated, this time raising her voice a pitch.

"Maya, what are you doing?"

Killian tried lowering the tension slowly as she moved forward so that the barrel of the gun pressed against Ada's head. She winced at the sudden feeling of cold metal pressed against her head. She suddenly wished a hole would open up and swallow her, instead.

"1200cc's, a dose half of this size. One shot and she's dead," Maya snapped.

"It's times like these my temper is tested somewhat. Maya, give me the injector."

"If she dies, Killian, what happens to your soldiers? What happens to your product? You know that she is the key to stabilizing Extremis. If we can somehow find a way to manipulate her powers into the equation, there wouldn't be a need for Tony."

 _As if this day couldn't get any worse_ , Ada thought bitterly.

Killian had been planning on using her as an experiment in the first place. She knew that Maya had the potential to create a powerful enough weapon with her powers and the Extremis combined. If that happened, there was no telling how others would be affected by them.

"First off, you are not using me as some kind of experiment for this shitty product of yours," she fired back before Killian could answer, "Second off, killing me would be a big mistake. A mistake I doubt either of you want on your track record."

Though it was just a bluff, it worked. Maya hesitated for a moment, lowering her weapon as Killian narrowed his eyes disdainfully.

"Considering you're not even human, I don't see why killing you wouldn't be a problem," Killian remarked.

"If she dies, you'll lose everything," Maya deadpanned. Ada squeezed her eyes shut for a moment when she suddenly raised the weapon again, this time pressing it harder against her forehead. The chains against Tony's bed frame began rattling louder as he tried breaking free, clearly having had enough with their conversation. "Do you really want that to happen?"

Killian looked at Maya thoughtfully for the first time since this mess started. What happened next was like a blur. One minute, Ada was bracing herself for whatever pain would follow. The next, she heard a gunshot ringing in the air. Her heart nearly skipped a beat as she heard the sickening thud of a body falling to the floor.

She finally opened her eyes to find that the body was Maya's. A pool of blood already formed around the body, and Ada's fist clenched with fury as she glared at Killian.

"How could you?"

The words barely came out as a whisper. Ada barely noticed that the walls around them were beginning to tremble. Killian was hardly given a chance to respond when she finally wrenched her other hand free, letting pieces of cement fly in his direction.

"Ada, stop!" Tony's voice was too distant to make out among the chaos of the building falling apart. She knew she was losing control. Killian used the chaos to slip away before he could get caught, disappearing into a cloud of debris. "Ada, it's okay."

Before Ada could make sense of who was saying that, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her in a tight embrace. She buried her face into Tony's chest, letting out a small cry. It was too much. From Pepper, to seeing Maya dead at her feet… she didn't know how much more she could handle.


	48. Chapter Forty Eight

**Chapter Forty Eight**

" _Cage me like an animal, A crown with gems and gold Eat me like a cannibal, Chase the neon throne Breathe in, breathe out, Let the human in Breathe in, breathe out, And let it in Plants awoke and they slowly grow, Beneath the skin So breathe in, breathe out, Let the human in..._ " - Human, of Monsters and Men

* * *

The silence was almost deafening. Remains of the building that once surrounded them were all that was left. Debris crumbled under their feet as they left the building behind. The danger of more walls and an unstable rooftop collapsing on them was too real. Tony had moved carefully around the debris to make sure that he didn't trip. It was only until calming down that Ada realized just how angry she had been seconds ago. Until Tony was able to calm her down enough that she recomposed her emotions.

Ada swallowed hard as she looked around and saw the destruction she'd left behind. Most of the walls had been reduced to a pile of rubble. The guards had left just before the building itself collapsed on them. Anything that was left of Maya's body had been buried in the debris. She was suddenly thankful for that – the last thing she wanted was to see another body slain because of her. Killian may have shot Maya down, but Ada knew that it was entirely her fault. The whole thing could have been avoided had she maintained better control over her emotions.

An overwhelming sense of guilt surged through Ada when she realized what she truly was capable of. She knew Tony could have easily been crushed if she had lost control. She would have never forgiven herself if anything happened to him because of her. Tony had given her so much more than just a roof over her head. When he first adopted her, she never expected to find herself surrounded by the people she would one day call her family.

More parts from the Iron Man suit began flying towards them after they left the building. Tony caught each piece with relative ease. He was still acting as if he was in a daze from what had happened. Not that Ada couldn't blame him. After seeing what had happened to Pepper, and what she had done, it was a wonder he hadn't reacted more violently. She knew how much Pepper meant to Tony. Killian had used her as a way of getting to him. The worst part was, Ada suspected that Killian would have cared less if anything happened to her or Pepper.

She kept an eye on Tony as they continued walking. Though they managed to escape their captivity, they were still a long way from stopping Killian and the Mandarin. Something told her that stopping either would be easier said than done. He was determined to prove whatever point he had against those who opposed him. The problem with his plan happened to be that Tony never gave up. Not when the people he cared about were at stake.

"What happened to the watch?" she finally cut through the silence after noticing the watch he'd worn earlier was broken.

"Got a little damaged," Tony explained with a shrug, "There wasn't anything I could do to stop it."

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip. Guilt stabbed at her heart once again as she thought of what had happened to Maya, and Pepper. None of this should have happened in the first place. Working with SHIELD meant that she should have been one step ahead of Killian. Yet, for all the technology in the world, they hadn't been able to figure out who was really behind all those attacks.

"Dad, I'm sorry." Her voice cracked as she refused to look at him. A shiver of fear and dread swept through her when Tony finally looked at her in surprise. "Maybe none of this would have happened if I'd been more careful…"

"Ada, don't you dare blame yourself for something that isn't your fault!" Tony suddenly cut her off before she could keep blaming herself. She blinked in surprise after meeting his gaze. "Look, I'm glad you took down that building… too bad it couldn't take Killian in the process."

She couldn't help but look down at her feet. The cold realization that she'd almost killed someone came rushing back. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for someone's death. Though she knew that it was in her job description, it didn't help knowing that others would suffer as a result. Her fists clenched as she wondered if there was a better way around it. Anything was better than having to feel responsible for someone's death.

"Dad, killing people isn't always the answer," she murmured.

Tony let out a sigh of frustration after noticing how unnerved she was with his statement. He of all people should have known why she felt that way. She had to watch her mother die in front of her countless times because of her nightmares. She had to watch hundreds of innocent people die because of them. She wasn't about to let anyone die on her watch; not if she could help them.

"All personnel, the Stark's are loose and somewhere in the compound. Repeat: The Stark's are loose and somewhere in the compound," a voice suddenly announced.

"Look, I understand why you're so opposed to killing people," he said after rolling his eyes at their announcement, "But, there are times when sometimes killing is the only answer."

She opened her mouth, ready to argue when Tony tried firing the thrusters. Ada quickly clamped her mouth shut when she noticed with a start that the thrusters were still inoperable. Though he managed to repair most of his suit, that didn't mean he hadn't repaired everything.

"Having trouble, there?" she asked after blowing a cloud of dust created by the failed attempts of getting into the air.

Tony was having a difficult enough time walking along the stairs. Ada had to admit, the whole thing would have been hilarious if it wasn't for the situation. He threw her an incredulous look, and was about to defend himself when her phone suddenly began to ring.

His faceplate lifted after Tony realized that she still had her phone with her. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Ada pulled the phone out of her pocket to see that it was Rhodey calling her. She half-expected it to be Steve. Considering it had been nearly a week since they last spoke, she knew a call between them was long overdue.

Without another word, she put the phone on speaker and glanced at Tony warily after noticing the Iron Patriot flying above them, "Tony…" Sure enough, Rhodey's voice sounded through as they made their way towards what looked like the main building.

"Rhodey, tell me that was you in the suit?" Tony asked.

"No. You got yours?" Ada's face fell when she saw Tony falter mid-step. He paused and looked at her uncertainly, though she could only shrug.

"I wouldn't put any money on the suit, Rhodey," she told him, ignoring the glare that followed moments later.

"Tell me it didn't get destroyed, again?" Rhodey's question was enough for Tony to put a hand against her mouth before Ada could complain any further.

"Not really. Main house, fast as you can. Somebody I'd like you to meet," he instructed, ignoring the fact that Ada managed to push his hand away and glare back. "And you are grounded."

"Really? Is that really the best time to bring that up?" she retorted.

Ada crossed her arms and met his gaze with equal defiance. She knew she was pushing the limits of how far she could get away with something. But, she wasn't about to let Tony's frustration get the better of him.

He let out a huff of frustration before leading the way towards the main building, deciding to drop the subject.

Unfortunately, that was the easy part. To Ada's surprise, the main mansion wasn't heavily guarded like it should have been. She had to knock out a couple of guards before letting Tony go any further. Because the suit wasn't functioning the way it should have been, Tony left her to deal with the guards while keeping an eye out for more.

The one thing Ada did notice was the fact that women seemed to wander around the complex in bikinis. Her stomach twisted in disgust at the sight. Either Killian had little to no time on his hands, or he had enough money in the world that he simply didn't care what people thought of him.

 _He really is a creepy asshole_ , she thought disdainfully.

The front porch itself was heavily guarded by a wrought iron gate. Seeing the gate left Ada wondering just how good the security was inside. There had only been a few guards posted outside the area, telling her that Killian was a bit too confident for his own good.

Tony made quick work of the gate, revealing what appeared to be a large, elegant looking Spanish-style mansion. Ada eyed the imposing building curiously, realizing with a start that Killian was loaded with money.

The tension from earlier came rushing back as the women who were inside fled the moment they arrived. Most of them were complaining about the heat that seemed ever present. Ada hadn't missed the fact that there wasn't any air conditioning, something she took for granted more times than she could count.

They walked on in silence until reaching a flight of stairs leading to another bedroom. Two guards were posted at the entrance, and Ada narrowed her eyes dangerously when they looked in their direction. One of the guards moved forward in a vain attempt of attacking, only to be thrown to the floor seconds later with a swift kick. The second guard was taken down with equal speed thanks to Tony.

"What's this? I had winners!" Tony's random announcement after pushing the door open was enough for Ada to cross her arms. He'd grabbed a ping-pong paddle from the one of the tables downstairs, and was now holding it in one hand.

Once Ada spotted the person Tony had been planning to introduce her to, she grimaced in disgust.

"What've you come as?" the man sitting in a bed full of dirty blankets and beer cans scattered about asked in a groan.

A ball of fire appeared in the palm of her right hand as Ada glared at him. He wasn't the Mandarin. Sure, he looked like the Mandarin and even sounded like him, but it was obvious this man wasn't him. He was young, possibly in his middle thirties, with a long scraggly looking beard and a face full of confusion.

Though, his expression quickly changed from confusion to fear when she suddenly threw a fireball in his direction. He let out a loud yelp, ducking just as the fireball hit the metal frame of the bed.

"What the hell? Who is this asshole?" she demanded after Tony grabbed her before she could cause further damage.

"You make one move and I'll break your face!" Rhodey shouted when he managed to break through one of the nearby walls. One gun was aimed in the man's direction, and she noticed just how terrified the man looked after realizing how badly outnumbered he was.

"I-I never thought people were hurt. T-They lied to me," he stammered, holding his hands up in self-defense.

Both Rhodey and Ada looked at Tony in confusion, "This is the Mandarin?" Rhodey asked the question she had been dying to ask.

"I know, it's… it's… it's embarrassing," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in the process.

"Hi… Trevor," the man introduced himself with a small smile, "Trevor Slattery." He leaned forward and held out his hand halfheartedly, though he quickly pulled back when Ada only glared at him, "I know, I'm shorter in person, a bit small, everyone says that. But, um… hey, if you're here to arrest me, uh… there are some people who I'd like to roll on. Immediately."

Before he could continue speaking nonsense, Ada wrenched herself free of Tony's grip and grabbed hold of Slattery faster than he thought possible. She managed to twist his arm behind his back, ignoring the yelp of pain that followed when she threw him to the bed.

"Tell me where Pepper is, and I won't try to break your arm," she snapped as she applied pressure to his arm.

"Oh, I get it! Ow! That hurt! I get it! I get it! I don't know about any Pepper, but I know about the plan."

"Remind me not to piss you off," Rhodey said after grimacing at the sight.

She had to remind herself to thank Natasha for teaching her that move. The former assassin had taught her that the best way to get anyone to talk during an interrogation was to administer some kind of bodily injury. Though it was a crude and sometimes cruel method, the results were often worth the effort.

"So, what now?" she asked once they formulated a plan to rescue Pepper and figure out a way to stop Killian.

According to Slattery, Killian had several yachts that were docked outside the compound. Tony had already made plans to steal one of the yachts and reach the oil rig where Killian's final move would take place.

Ada blinked in surprise when her phone suddenly went off. Looking down, she noticed with a start that Coulson had sent her a message alerting her that they were on their way. She knew Coulson's team had been keeping track of her progress since parting ways in Rosehill. Though, she wasn't expecting to hear back from him so soon after that.

"You're staying here until this mess is resolved," Tony informed her once it became clear who was in charge. "The last thing I need is you going anywhere near that asshole after what he did to Pepper."

"Dammit dad, this is what I was trained for!" she fired back after realizing what he was implying. She hated being seen as nothing more than someone incapable of fighting back. "And I have just as much of a reason to go after them!"

Pepper was more than just a mother-figure in her life. She never admitted it out loud, but she did see Pepper as her mother. The woman was always there for her when she needed someone to talk to. To know that something could have happened to her was worse than she could have imagined.

"I know that, Ada. I also know that you're capable of causing enough damage to make Killian think twice about hurting our family." Tony ignored the look Rhodey threw them as he pulled her to the side to avoid letting Slattery hear their conversation, "But I also know that keeping you safe is my job. Can you please, for once, give me this as a Christmas gift?"

For once, Ada didn't know what to say. She found herself staring at Tony in disbelief as realization dawned on her. Tony had already suffered enough over the last few years to know what it was like to lose people he cared about. She swallowed hard and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Tony finally wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Despite the suit he was still wearing, Ada couldn't help but return the gesture. The last thing she wanted was to let anything happen to him. But, she would do this for him. Even if it meant going against what she believed.

"Do me a favor and kick Killian's ass for me, will you?" she asked when they let go.

"I plan on kicking his ass," Tony replied without missing a beat. He glanced in Slattery's direction before looking back at her, "Do me a favor and make sure SHIELD picks up whatever… whatever this is," he added.

One nod of agreement was all it took for Tony and Rhodey to take off before she could change her mind.

Ada bit back a sigh of frustration and crossed her arms once they were gone. Being left alone with Slattery wasn't exactly something she had planned for. After drinking more than a few cans of beer, Ada wasn't surprised to see that he was suffering from the alcohol. Needless to say, spending time with Tony taught her how to deal with people who were drunk.

"Wait a minute, you're Tony Stark's daughter, aren't you?" Ada nearly rolled her eyes at his random question. "Never thought I'd be meeting two famous people on the same day."

"Yeah, well don't get used to it," she muttered under her breath.

Her shoulders sagged in relief when she heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching. Coulson stopped short when he noticed the man slouched in the bed. Slattery looked bored beyond belief. The only thing that kept him awake was the television that rambled on during a game.

"Tell me that isn't the Mandarin?" he asked, glancing between Slattery and Ada as the rest of his team arrived moments later.

"Unfortunately, it is," she replied. "It's a long story."

Luckily, Coulson didn't bother pressing for answers. She was more than relieved to leave the hot, humid building behind in favor of the BUS. Coulson's team had parked further away from the mansion, but it didn't take them long to reach the large plane.

"That's the Mandarin?" Skye asked in surprise after Slattery was pushed inside.

After being bound in cuffs, it was obvious Slattery would likely be facing a long interrogation from Coulson's team. Not that Ada wasn't surprised by the notion. She suspected Slattery was in for a nasty surprise once this was over.

"It's embarrassing," she sighed with a shake of her head. She looked at Skye thoughtfully when she noticed that the brunette wasn't nearly as nervous as she had been before. "Coulson told me that you're new to the team."

Ada hadn't missed the guilt flashing across her eyes as Skye looked away. She remembered hearing from Coulson that Skye was picked off the streets when she was caught hacking into their security network. She'd been working for a group known as the Rising Tide, but that was about as much information they had on her.

"I joined only a few weeks ago," she admitted. "I'm not officially an agent yet – according to Agent Coulson, it could take years for me to become an official agent. But, this job is so much more than that."

She couldn't hide the small smile that followed. Considering that was one of the many reasons she'd signed up, she could understand Skye's longing to be part of something greater.

"He's right about it taking years to become a full agent," she warned her, "But, the rewards are worth it. All I've ever wanted to do was help people with the powers I have, and SHIELD's helped me reach that potential."

The last thing she wanted was to scare Skye from joining SHIELD. Truthfully, training had been far more difficult because of her abilities. Fury hadn't taken it easy on her just because she was the youngest agent they'd recruited.

"Extremis is really a remarkable enhancement, when it's controlled properly," Jemma remarked after the sample they were able to extract. Ada rose an eyebrow as they reached the lab, only to find that Jemma and Leo were hard at work looking into a cure for Extremis. According to Coulson, they were able to find a sample of it while in Rosehill. "Because it's based off a plant product, it can regenerate limbs that were lost."

"Hansen's project might have worked if she was able to overlook the side-effects," Leo put in.

"Do you think you could find a cure for it?" she asked warily.

If they found a cure for Extremis, it would mean they could help Pepper and anyone else who suffered from the drug.

"It may take some time, but we should be able to find a cure with this sample," Jemma replied with a nod.

Ada let out a sigh of relief at that. She knew Tony was likely blaming himself for what had happened to Pepper. Though all of this had been technically his fault, none of them could have predicted it would happen. She realized with a start that fate worked in ways no one could explain.

"Why are you so desperate to find a cure for it?" Grant asked after reaching them. He'd been talking to Coulson about Slattery and what his fate would be. There wasn't any doubt that he would be spending a year or two in prison once it was all said and done.

"Pepper was taken by Killian, and the asshole used the drug on her," she explained in a bitter tone. Jemma's eyes widened in horror, while Leo finally understood why she was so anxious to find a cure, "I'm assuming he did it as a way to gain leverage over Tony."

"And, he thought you had the ability to stabilize it with your powers," Coulson concluded once he joined them. Ada winced at that – she had a feeling Killian had also tried using her as leverage over Tony as well. Though, that plan hadn't ended well on his part. "Do you have any idea where they might be?"

She looked at Coulson in surprise before recalling what Slattery had told them. Killian had been planning a final 'lesson' to those who opposed him. She already had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that meant involving Pepper in some way, along with other innocent people.

"I have a vague idea," she replied.

* * *

 **AN: I updated today instead of yesterday since reviews weren't showing. Thanks Scarlet3Wolf12 for reviewing! I really do appreciate the feedback :)**


	49. Chapter Forty Nine

**Chapter Forty Nine**

" _If anyone remembers my name If I'm ever known for anything, Let it be I ran into the night Running with a firelight, firelight Cause I don't wanna stroll the streets of gold, While there's still a soul to love_ _Let me run into the night Running with a firelight, firelight, Burning with a firelight, firelight..._ " - Firelight, Matt Maher

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Ada to hack into Tony's files. The one thing he always seemed to forget was that she had as much experience as he did when it came to hacking. She used that to her advantage, and was able to find his location in a matter of minutes.

Skye was sitting beside her on a bench, watching in amazement as she typed a series of codes with ease. She'd long-since taught herself how to hack into just about any security system. Fury was the one who thought he could use her skills to his advantage, by creating a security system that others couldn't breach. He had agents design a program that was almost unhackable. Ada had gotten frustrated to the point where she nearly quit on them, until she found a back entrance into their security.

"I've hacked into my fair share of computers in the day, but you make this look easy," she remarked after Ada was able to figure out the coordinates to Tony's location.

She'd hacked into his suit. Jarvis would have likely alerted Tony that someone hacked into his system, but she had a tracer that made it impossible to figure out who was responsible. Though, something told her he would figure it out soon enough.

"It just takes practice," Ada explained with a shrug. Though, she knew from experience that it was more than that. She had to figure out how to protect herself from Tony when she was on SHIELD missions before he found out what she was up to. "Before he found out I was working for SHIELD, I had to make sure he couldn't trace my calls or figure out who I was keeping in touch with. Clint was my handler at the time, and he taught me how to block his security system."

Even Skye looked impressed with that explanation, "I didn't know he was that smart."

Ada couldn't hide the sheepish grin that followed. Something told her Clint wouldn't have appreciated her giving information on his intelligence. He was surprisingly intelligent, despite what everyone else thought of him. After all, he was the one who came up with most of his trick arrows after Jimmy stopped working in the tech department.

"I've got his coordinates," she announced when Coulson joined them moments later. He was hardly surprised she'd been able to find information within less than an hour. "It's off the coast on an oil rig."

"We've got bigger problems," Coulson informed her, the tone of his voice serious as he eyed her warily, "Killian's men managed to snag the President. They're going to perform a public execution if we don't get there in time."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat at the mention of the President. She'd known Killian was an asshole who would likely do whatever it took to catch the public's attention. If he got away with killing the President, it would end badly for the country.

"You know I have to go down there and help," she deadpanned as they headed for the main living area.

A television screen revealed what Coulson had already informed them of. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach as Ada watched the scene unfold before them. Most of the oil rig was already lit ablaze, with Extremis soldiers guarding the area heavily. Her fists clenched at the sight, and she was ready to say something else when she caught a suit flying across the screen.

Her eyes widened in disbelief when she recognized them as Iron Man suits. Dozens of them were flying around the oil rig, taking down any Extremis soldier that got in the way. The scene had quickly turned chaotic as the Extremis soldiers tried fighting back, only to be knocked out or killed in the process. Somehow, Ada wasn't surprised to find that Tony managed to use his suits against the Extremis soldiers.

"Are all those his?" Skye asked in disbelief.

She hadn't taken her eyes off the screen since they arrived. Not that Ada couldn't blame her.

"He has a little too much time on his hands," she muttered under her breath.

"It's going to take time for us to reach the rig," Coulson sighed after pinching the bridge of his nose. "Your father already has most of this taken care of."

Ada nearly rolled her eyes at that. She understood why Tony didn't want her anywhere near the worst of the fight. Yet, she was fully capable of defending herself down there. She could have easily helped them if he'd allowed it.

"I'm tired of him treating me like I'm a helpless kid," she complained when they reached what appeared to be a kitchen. Coulson didn't bother arguing with that notion as he offered something to eat. She hadn't realized until than how long it had been since she had a decent meal. "I have these powers for a reason, and I feel completely useless when I can't help anyone."

She let out a sigh of frustration as she studied her plate, suddenly aware that Tony did have his reasons for being so protective. The fact that he cared at all was something she had always appreciated. Yet, she also needed her space, and that was one of the many reasons she had joined SHIELD in the first place.

"I know it may seem like he's shutting you out, but this is his way of showing that he cares about you," Coulson tried reminding her with a small smile.

Ada looked at him in surprise.

She remembered Maria mentioning that Coulson was the one who convinced Tony to adopt her in the first place. Though he hadn't known at the time who Coulson was, or that SHIELD even existed, Tony hadn't questioned their motives at the time. Instead, he'd taken everyone by surprise by agreeing that she needed a home. For years, she had always wondered what convinced Tony to go to such lengths and adopt her. Now, she was beginning to understand his reasoning.

"You know, Maria told me that you're the one who convinced him to adopt me," she admitted, glancing at him self-consciously as he took a seat beside her. "She said that you were the one who looked after me when SHIELD found me, before I was sent to the orphanage."

Coulson's face faltered. For a moment, he looked white as a ghost as he studied her incredulously. She'd known for some time that he was the one who looked after her when she was just a baby. The moment she found out was when she realized why he'd cared so much about her. She had always seen Coulson as a father-figure whenever Tony was too busy or acting like… well, Tony. She couldn't shake off the feeling that was why she had been so shaken after finding out that he'd 'died' during the battle of Manhattan.

"You were just an infant when they found you," he explained with a heavy sigh. "I knew there was something special about you when you were first brought in… I never realized until looking into the Aliquid history just how special you are."

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she realized what he meant by that. She had a feeling that he had been hoping to keep all of that to himself. Though, the fact that Coulson had gone out of his way to make sure that she was safe meant more than she could ever admit out loud. Before Coulson could protest, she suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. He blinked a few times before returning the gesture.

"Thank you, for everything you've done," she whispered.

"Boss, we've arrived at the coordinates."

Ada blinked in surprise at the sound of Agent Melinda May's voice. She hadn't expected to hear that voice, or even meet the woman who was also known as the Calvary. She glanced at Coulson warily as they unraveled themselves.

"Go and get ready," he told her with a nod.

She simply returned the gesture and headed off to a room where she could change. The last time she'd changed was before the mansion had been destroyed, and that had been nearly three days ago. Her nose wrinkled at the thought. She was in desperate need of a shower, and a decent night's sleep. But, there was no rest of the wary.

…

The air was rancid with smoke, ash and the stench of burning flesh. Ada's eyes began watering a while as she struggled to breathe. Her throat burned from the acrid tang, and it took a few seconds for her to adjust to the smoke that filled the area. Parts of the rig were still on fire. She used her powers to quench the flames in the vain attempt to keep it from spreading. She hadn't missed the fact that there were bits and pieces of human flesh scattered along the rig.

At some point in her trip to the oil rig, she would have thought for sure she'd lose her dinner at the sight. She forced herself to look away, swallowing the vile rising in her throat. The people responsible for so much chaos hadn't deserved this kind of outcome. But, she knew it was the only way to handle such a situation. Tony hadn't had a choice in the matter. Things could have ended a lot more violently if he and Rhodey hadn't rescued the President in time.

A lump formed in the back of her throat as she thought of Pepper. She still didn't know what had happened to her. The last time she saw Pepper was when Killian had been showing off the fact that he used the Extremis drug on her. If anything happened to Pepper because of that drug, she would never forgive herself. She swallowed hard, hoping to push back the fear that began taking over. If she lost control now, it would end in disaster for anyone in the area.

Instead of dwelling on the thought, Ada sprinted towards the last known location of Tony. She wasn't sure if he would still be around, or if he'd left just before she arrived. Hell, she wasn't sure if Killian was still alive. There were a lot of unknown variables, and that left her mind churning with anxiety.

Finally, Ada was able to make out two figures looming in the distance. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she recognized both figures. Despite the smoke that made her eyes and lungs burn, she almost cried with joy after spotting Pepper standing with Tony. Yet, the moment she spotted them was when she stopped in her tracks.

They were holding each other in a warm embrace, and it looked as if they'd finally made up. Ada couldn't help but look away as guilt stabbed at her chest. She'd promised Tony that she would stay away. And, once again, she went behind his back and did the exact opposite.

For the first time since leaving the BUS, she was unsure of what to do or even say. The last thing Ada wanted was to intervene and ruin the moment. She was torn between leaving them for some much needed alone time, and wanting to rush over and give Pepper a warm hug of her own. Her phone suddenly went off, signaling that someone sent a text. Ada jumped at the noise, and heat rose to her cheeks out of sheer embarrassment when she looked at the sender.

' _Merry Christmas_ — _Steve_.'

Ada's mouth fell open in disbelief as she read the message. It was the last thing she expected to see. She looked between her phone, Tony and Pepper before letting out a heavy sigh.

' _Merry Christmas to you too, Steve_ ,' she sent back.

"Ada?" Pepper's voice was enough for her to flinch.

Ada looked at them, suddenly feeling self-conscious when she felt Tony's gaze boring through her.

"I'm sorry… I just needed to make sure that you were okay, and I was on my way out…"

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip, already aware of how lame an excuse that was. Pepper didn't bother giving her a chance to continue making excuses. Instead of arguing with Tony, who was clearly ready to make some snide comment, Pepper rushed over and wrapped her arms around her in a much needed hug.

"I'm glad you're here, Ada," Pepper whispered.

She did look relieved, in more ways than one. Ada only stared at her in confusion after noticing that she wasn't heating up like the other Extremis soldiers. Though, she also wore an expression that said they had a lot of talking to do once this was over.

"That makes one of us," Tony complained after reaching them. "What part of stay out of this did you not understand?"

"The part where I'm not going to let you keep me from doing my job," she snapped, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Tony defiantly. "Look, I'm an Avenger and a SHIELD agent first and foremost. My job as an agent is to help people, and my job as an Avenger is to protect them. You can't keep me from doing that."

Tony's mouth fell open as he stared at her, too dumbstruck to formulate a proper retort. Even he couldn't argue with that logic, try as he might. She would keep going behind his back, whether he wanted her to or not. She wanted to help people, and more than anything, she wanted to make a difference in the world.

"She has a point," Pepper reminded him. Tony looked between the two of them, and for the first time, Ada thought she saw real fear within his eyes. Though he didn't show it often, she knew when he tried backpedaling to keep things from getting any worse. "She is old enough to take care of herself, Tony."

"I know," he sighed irritably after reaching the conclusion that there was no arguing with them. Ada knew she had him beat when Pepper joined in her defense. "That's what scares me."

She merely rose an eyebrow in surprise before giving a small shrug, "Dad, I'll always be your little girl, no matter how you see it," she reassured him with a faint smile, "Nothing is ever going to change that."

Tony just stuck his tongue out at her as if to prove a point, to which she returned the gesture with a scowl. She knew he could be immature at the worse times. Yet, Tony had a soft spot she doubted would ever fade.

"So, what now?" Pepper asked once that was done and over with.

"Jarvis?" Tony suddenly tapped on the communicator, knowing exactly what was needed at that point, "You know what to do?" Ada watched Tony in disbelief when he activated the one protocol she wasn't expecting. He hadn't been planning to destroy the Iron Man suits that he worked on throughout the last few months. But, cleaning out the inventory meant he could work on newer, better designs. "Merry Christmas."

He added the last part with a smug look as the suits began exploding midair. Ada watched the scene in amazement, realizing that from down on the rig, they looked more like fireworks exploding. Within a few seconds, the sky was set ablaze with suits exploding around them. She couldn't help but lean into Tony once she understood the double-meaning behind his words. His arm wrapped around Pepper after kissing her on the forehead, while he kept his other arm wrapped around Ada.

It may not have been the Christmas they were planning for, but, it was certainly better than she could have imagined. Spending time with family was one of the best gifts she could have asked for.

* * *

 **AN: I've been meaning to write out a scene where Coulson explains to Ada that he's the one who watched over her before signing her over to the adoption agency, but I never had the chance... I am planning on doing a series of one-shots, both short and long revolving around this story and what I left out. So, I may still write an entire short-story revolving around that conversation. Nonetheless, the next few chapters are going to be filler chapters before we get into the next part, which will be Thor: Dark World. I was debating whether I should leave that out or not, but I'm rolling with it anyways. It'll probably just take longer for me to post chapters, since I want to improve the quality of what was previously written. Thanks gothicpoet0615 for reviewing!**


	50. Chapter Fifty

**Chapter Fifty**

Since the mansion had been destroyed by the Mandarin, Tony decided to move the family back into Avenger's Tower temporarily. Repairs were already underway for the renovation of the mansion, but until they finished, they were stuck in Manhattan for the next few months.

Not that Ada was surprised with that notion. Tony wanted to make sure that the mansion was designed better than it had been before. Once he put his mind on something, there was no turning back. Ada had already learned that the hard way. She had to admit, though, it would be nice to see what the mansion looked like once it was finished.

"Remind me again how this is a good idea?" Clint's question shook her out of her thoughts.

The whole team had been asked to stop by the Tower, minus Thor. Since he was from Asgard, and communication was near-impossible, Tony didn't bother trying to reach out to him. Ada rose an eyebrow curiously when she saw Clint sitting on a couch with his arms outstretched. Natasha leaned against a wall, while Steve and Banner stood nearby with looks of annoyance written across their faces.

Tony wanted everyone together for what he called a 'New Year's Eve/Christmas' party. Ada couldn't help but think of all the disastrous outcomes that would follow. The team was already dysfunctional as it was without him making it worse. Hearing Clint's complaint only added to her list of growing concerns. Besides, he did have family matters to attend with.

"Because the only time we ever seem to get together is when there's an impending disaster," Tony deadpanned with a knowing look. He suddenly clasped his hands together in an attempt of gaining everyone's attention. Since Pepper was standing beside him, Ada suspected this was his way of trying to remain calm in an otherwise uneasy situation. "Besides, this is the best way for everyone to catch up with one another."

"More like you were bored and couldn't think of anything better to do," Ada muttered under her breath.

Tony merely stuck his tongue out at her. It was possibly the most childish reaction he could have had, yet that didn't stop her from returning the gesture. A part of her understood why he wanted the team to spend time together. It meant having some kind of bonding experience that would hopefully dissolve whatever tension they had with each other.

She and Pepper had been planning a Secret Santa gift exchange long before Tony came up with this idea. The only problem was, whatever gifts she bought had been destroyed along with the mansion. Ada tried salvaging what she could, but some of the gifts had been scrapbooks and other irreplaceable oddities.

"Look, I get that everyone has better things to do with their lives, but we need to think of this as a team bonding exercise," Tony tried reassuring them with a meek smile.

Ada suspected that none of this would have been possible in the first place if it wasn't for Pepper's help. She hadn't missed the hopeful look flashing across Tony's eyes. It was the last thing she expected from him. Tony had been infamous for throwing wild parties in the past. She could still remember spending nights at Pepper's place while he threw parties at the mansion. Though she'd grown accustomed to them, the last few New Year's parties had been strangely quiet.

To her surprise, it seemed as if Tony _wanted_ to surround himself with the people he considered his friends and family. They'd stopped by the hospital just a couple of days ago to check on Happy after the Mandarin incident was over. Ada was more than relieved to find out that he had already begun recovering, and would be discharged from the hospital within a few days as long as he took care of himself.

Natasha exchanged a knowing look with Clint. Ada wasn't sure what Natasha did for Christmas or New Year's Eve. The redhead assassin normally kept quiet about what she did during any holiday. Then she noticed that Banner gave a small shrug after realizing there wasn't any point in arguing with Tony's plea.

 _He even invited Steve of all people_ , she realized.

The relationship between Tony and Steve was still strained. At least he was willing to try and put aside the resentment he felt towards the Super Soldier.

"A break from every day life might actually be a good idea," Steve finally nodded in agreement.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly when Tony looked at him in surprise.

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed when their eyes met. She knew Tony had a hard time getting along with Steve because of how close they were. Though, he would never admit out loud that it was also Howard Stark's fault. Her adopted grandfather had praised Captain America for everything he did, and it wasn't surprising that Tony felt some resentment towards the fact that Howard preferred him over his own son.

"Great. Everything's already set up; Pepper did most of the planning," Tony clasped his hands together once more before anyone could argue.

"Does he ever think things through?" Banner grumbled with a shake of his head.

She almost smirked at that comment. Banner wasn't one to enjoy stressful company. But even he couldn't turn down the opportunity for a party. She was surprised he'd agreed to meet up at the Tower at all, considering he had been trying to hide from the military just a few weeks ago.

"Just try and play along with it," Ada warned him after Tony left to join Pepper in the kitchen. Truthfully, they had been planning on holding their own celebration since Happy had been discharged from the hospital. She knew that Happy wanted to be there with them, but he was still recovering from his surgery, and wouldn't be back to work for another few weeks. "I think this is his way of making up for being such an ass to everyone."

"You would know that, wouldn't you?" Clint scoffed with a cross of his arms.

One jab in the ribs from Natasha was all it took for him to quiet down before he could complain some more. Ada threw her a thankful look. Though she understood Clint's frustration towards Tony's behavior, it wasn't as if she had any control over what her father did. She was just thankful Tony didn't throw the wild parties he used to, or that he'd settled down with Pepper.

With a sigh, she led the way into the main living area where a table full of food had already been set up. Music played quietly in the background, and a countdown clock had been set up. The best part was the large screen perched above a fireplace. Tony had it set up so that they could watch the ball drop live from the street nearby, where large crowds had clustered in the bitter cold.

"I don't remember New Year's Eve being so exciting," Steve admitted when he noticed how bright and loud it was.

Pepper turned down the volume on the speaker after grimacing at the loud noise. She'd already had enough with the people screaming for attention when the cameras focused on them. Not that Ada couldn't blame her. Those people would never know what it was like constantly having the paparazzi ambushing them.

"It's gotten bigger with each year," Ada explained with a roll of her eyes.

New Year's Eve was a big deal for most people. She only saw it as an excuse for people to get drunk and wild. How people would spend hours on end in Time's Square for the celebration was beyond her. There were over a hundred things she would rather do than spend it out in the bitter cold with a bunch of random strangers.

"Ironically, I was in Switzerland for New Year's Eve when Killian became such a pain in the ass," Tony said when he reached them. Ada eyed him in surprise as he clasped a hand over her shoulder, shooting Steve a look that said it all. The Super Soldier only returned it with an incredulous glare. "Never did admit that that was a mistake."

"That's because you rarely admit when you've made a mistake, Tony," Pepper retorted after joining them.

Ada couldn't help but laugh at the face Tony made when she said that. Not for the first time, she was thankful Leo and Jemma had been able to find a cure for Extremis. With the cure, Pepper had been Extremis free for the last couple of days, now. She was happier now that the effects had worn off. In fact, she and Tony had returned to their playful banter before any of the madness revolving around the Mandarin started.

"She isn't wrong about that," Natasha quipped from where she sat.

"We all make mistakes," Ada pointed out after chewing the bottom of her lip. She knew that everyone had their limits when it came to teasing, and Tony wasn't one to take things lightly. He'd been trying to change his image since the media over portrayed him the last few years as a playboy. It wasn't easy, since everyone just assumed that was how he would act. "It's called being human."

"So, are you all gonna hug it out or am I gonna have to make a run for it?" Clint asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the thought.

Tony only shook his head as he looked at Ada in surprise. Then, he had to go around and ruffle her hair just to annoy her. She nearly rolled her eyes again before meeting his gaze. Moments like those were rare between them. Ada realized with a start how much she longed for them, especially since she knew that she was growing up fast. Since she never really had a normal childhood growing up, Ada always acted more maturely than most people her age. Now, she was beginning to wish that things had been slightly different.

She let out a sigh as she reached the table and grabbed a plate. Despite the antics they often found themselves in, this team was really beginning to show the signs of a real family. Ada knew in the back of her mind that while it had never been Fury's intention, these people needed something like that in their lives. She hadn't missed the fact that Banner had opened up a bit more around Natasha, or that he was spending more time with Tony now that they both settled into a routine in the labs. Even Steve had his normal routine where they would meet up in the gym every once in a while, or go on a morning run.

"Something on your mind?"

Natasha's question cut through her thoughts. Ada blinked in surprise when she realized she'd been staring at nothing in particular for the last couple of minutes. The redhead watched her curiously as she stabbed a fork into her salad, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"I couldn't help but think how much this reminds me of being surrounded by family," she admitted sheepishly. "I mean, we all sort of look out for one another."

Which was true, in a way. She hadn't realized until then just how much that meant to her, to know that there would always be someone she could rely on. Natasha rose an eyebrow in surprise before taking a sip of the wine she'd taken from Tony's stash.

"No matter what they say, you and Stark are nothing alike," she remarked. Ada looked at Natasha warily. She couldn't hide the small smile that followed. She certainly hadn't been expecting that comment, especially from someone like Natasha. Then again, they had all learned to tolerate one another in some way or another. "So, what about you and Steve? I know he's been giving you the 'look' since we got here."

That was enough for cheeks to rise to her cheeks. The sudden change in subject wasn't something Ada had been prepared for. And of course, the moment Natasha brought it up was when she caught Steve looking in their direction. He was sitting across the table between Pepper and Banner, having given her a wide berth. Not that Ada couldn't blame him after the way Tony had been acting about them getting to know each other.

"I don't think there's anything that needs to be said," she muttered under her breath, this time hoping to hide the flush of embarrassment that swept through her. The last thing she wanted to admit was that she did have feelings for Steve. Not only was he three years older than her, but she suspected the feelings were anything but mutual. "Look, I've been focusing on my SHIELD training and finding out more about my people… I'd rather keep it that way, for everyone's sake."

The smirk that followed was just another reminder of why Ada had kept her feelings at bay. If anything, the incident revolving around Killian had only reminded her of why she wasn't in any hurry to start a relationship. If anything happened between them, it would only make things incredibly awkward for everyone else.

"Your eyes say differently," Natasha whispered, though it was loud enough for Ada to hear loud and clear.

She couldn't help but glance away warily. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering why it had been such a big deal in the first place. It wasn't as if anyone else had focused on relationships. Sure, Tony had Pepper, and even Clint had a secret family no one knew about. But, that _wasn't_ her life, as much as she wanted it to be.

…

"We're only a few minutes away from the countdown until the ball drops," the reporter informed everyone after reaching the main stage.

The performer had finished with a grand finale song and left just as the crowd went wild. Ada crossed her arms, feeling squished as she sat wedged between Banner and Steve on the couch. Tony sat on Banner's other side, while Clint sat on Steve's other side. Natasha and Pepper were the smart ones, who managed to wriggle out of using a couch that was meant for two. How they managed to squeeze in four people was something she would never understand.

"I'm beginning to feel like a hotdog," she complained when Pepper handed her a glass of champagne.

"Well, it was your idea to sit with the boys, so don't go complaining to me about it," Pepper reminded her with a wink.

Ada merely rolled her eyes and was about to stick her tongue out when she thought better of it. She was the first one to sit on the couch, soon followed by the others as if to prove some point. With a sigh of frustration, she tried ignoring the smug look Tony threw her as they turned up the volume. The countdown clock had already begun as the crowd chanted from ten to one.

"Three… two… one… Happy New Year!"

The cheer came almost all at once from everyone, even Banner. The sound of explosive fireworks echoed around the Tower as the ball dropped and confetti filled the streets. Just like any other New Year's Eve party, their glasses clanked seconds later as everyone took their sip.

By the time everyone finished, Ada soon found herself leaning into Steve. Tony had already left the couch after having his share of drinks, while Banner was beginning to fall asleep on his side of the couch. Despite her protests from earlier, Ada couldn't help but feel more relaxed than ever after everything that happened. The last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep was the feeling of his warm arms wrapped around her.

* * *

 **AN: Hopefully FF has resolved the issue that has been going on with their website over the last few weeks, more specifically, with email alerts and such. Had trouble logging into the site the other night and even this morning. Aside from that, the next couple of chapters will be a little shorter than I would like, but they're also filler chapters. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring as far as filler chapters go :)**


	51. Chapter Fifty One

**Chapter Fifty One**

She let out a soft moan as she felt someone stir. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she found herself resting atop of Steve. Last night was still a little fuzzy, but she could remember moving to the couch during the New Year's Eve ball drop. Tony and the rest of the team had been gathered around them, and when Ada looked around, she noticed everyone else had left. Banner was the only one who'd stayed on the couch, though his head rested on the other armrest.

For a moment, a rush of panic swept through Ada as she imagined what would happen if Tony found out about this. She already suspected Jarvis would alert him. Ada looked back at Steve's sleeping form, aware that they were normally both wide awake at this time of the morning. The last thing she wanted was for Tony or anyone else to jump to conclusions.

She felt him stir, and blinked after trying to hide the furious blush that followed when she straightened up in the hopes of hiding the obvious. Her conversation with Natasha earlier the other night came rushing back. If anyone caught them now, she knew they would never let them live it down.

Steve only stared at her for a few seconds. His mouth gaped open as he tried to register what had happened. Within seconds, she saw his cheeks turn a whole new shade of red out of sheer embarrassment as realization dawned on him.

"I, uh, I didn't—"

"Steve, relax," Ada cut him off before he could find some excuse as to why they had been sleeping together on the couch. "For one thing, you can't get drunk, and for another, my father wouldn't have allowed either of us to get anywhere near that level."

She watched his face change multiple expressions before the flush returned to his cheeks. At that point, Banner was finally stirring nearby at the sound of their voices. She knew that Banner would have left immediately had he known something serious was going on. Instead, the doctor merely watched the pair in confusion after realizing that he wasn't alone.

"Did I miss anything?" he half-groaned.

He scratched the back of his head as Ada let out a sigh.

"No," both Ada and Steve said at the same time.

Ada glanced back at Steve, not missing the fact that he hadn't taken his eyes off of her. Banner only tiled his head to one side, clearly aware that they were trying to hide something. She was grateful he hadn't said anything, though.

"We uh, were just trying to figure out what to watch in the morning," Ada tried explaining, though she knew it was a lame excuse.

Banner only rolled his eyes before shuffling awkwardly back to his feet.

It had been a long enough day, for everyone. With the rest of the team scattered in the Tower, most likely in their respective rooms, they were the only three out on the main floor. It left Ada feeling all-the-more embarrassed after realizing just how easily everyone could have over-portrayed what could have happened.

"I'm sorry," Steve sighed once Banner headed for the kitchen to make coffee. Ada glanced at him in surprise when she caught him rubbing his neck to hide his embarrassment. "I uh, was planning on heading back to my room, but you were fast asleep by the time everyone else left."

She blinked a few times when those words sank in. She remembered falling asleep a few minutes after they'd celebrated New Year's arrival. Though, she never realized until that moment that she'd fallen asleep snuggled against Steve.

The only thing she did recall was feeling how warm and comfortable it was sleeping next to him. Not for the first time, heat rushed to her cheeks at the thought. It took everything she had to hide her own embarrassment.

"Steve, you didn't have to do that," she murmured guiltily.

She knew how awkward it was for them. Between Tony's overprotective behavior and the media jumping to conclusions, dating was out of the question.

"I know I didn't." The answer came so quickly that she wasn't expecting it. Ada's eyes widened in disbelief, and for a moment, she was too dumbstruck to search for an answer. Instead, she simply stared at him for a few seconds until their eyes met. "If Tony gets angry, just tell him it was my fault."

His request was so sincere that she couldn't help but shake her head. She knew what Tony was like – if he planned on punishing anyone, it would be her. Besides, it wasn't as if they'd done anything crazy. She'd just somehow woken up in a precarious situation, and was suddenly thankful that she'd woken up before him as a result.

"Coffee's ready if either of you want any," Banner announced after checking in on them.

Eventually, the others had begun stirring from their rooms. They were slowly congregating into the kitchen where breakfast was served by Banner. Ada hadn't seen him drink nearly as much as Clint or Tony. In fact, she'd only seen him drink a small glass of champagne before calling it quits.

Tony and Clint were the ones who were fighting off the headaches that followed. The archer and the genius looked as if they were going to throw up just moments after Banner offered to make pancakes or waffles.

"You owe me fifty bucks."

Natasha's random statement earned looks of confusion from everyone other than Clint. The archer only scowled when she reached him. The smug look written across her face only added to Ada's confusion, until she pulled out her phone.

"What would you two make a bet on?" Pepper asked when she joined them, frowning as she noticed how disheveled everyone looked.

"Whether or not they would sleep together," Clint deadpanned with a loud groan.

Ada's eyes went wide with horror as she exchanged a knowing look with Steve. Tony's scowl said it all. She knew they were in for an earful once he recovered from his hangover. The worst part was, neither of them had been planning for a night like that.

Her mind began to race for a dozen excuses as to why they had been in that position in the first place. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Clint or Natasha made bets. The two of them had known something was up long before Ada reached the same conclusion. Now, it was just a matter of hiding whatever she felt around Steve, which was easier said than done.

 _Why is everyone so hungover this crap_? she wondered to herself, suddenly wishing a hole would open up and swallow her. Instead, she swallowed back the lump forming in her throat as she stood up and left before they could keep talking about the other night.

She didn't bother checking to see if anyone followed her as she reached the stairs. Her mind was already churning with anxiety as she headed for the gym, hoping to vent off her frustration.

Not for the first time, Ada found herself wondering if she ever even _had_ a chance with Steve. Their jobs weren't exactly the easiest in the world. To top it off, she wasn't even human. Though they'd found common ground in some areas, it was painfully obvious just how different they were. She shook her head at the thought. Dwelling on it wouldn't get her anywhere. That was why she had focused on her training for so long, before the Avengers: Initiative started. Anything was better than the utter confusion she felt at the moment.

She let out a sigh after finally reaching the gym. A small part of her had always known that life would never be easy. As much as she tried pushing the conversation in the kitchen away, they kept rushing back.

"Ada, wait!" Ada narrowed her eyes at the sound of Tony's voice. Maybe he hadn't been suffering as much as she thought from his hangover. Whatever the case, she wasn't in the mood to put up with him. Though, she quickly changed her mind after spinning around to face him, ready for some snide retort. "I think we need to talk… away from the Tower."

For a moment, Ada was tempted to refuse the request when she saw the pleading look in his eyes. It was at that point when she realized Tony was actually being sincere. She'd rarely seen him that way, unless he knew that it was serious. One nod was all it took for Tony to gesture for her to follow him.

…

"I know you're probably angry over what happened, but if you're going to blame anyone, blame me," she sighed as they headed for Central Park.

She knew Tony didn't normally go out for walks unless it was with the team, or if it was an emergency. With the reporters constantly hounding them, she was surprised he'd jumped at the opportunity to walk and talk. This was a side of Tony that she rarely got to see.

"I'm not blaming you for anything, Ada," Tony reassured her with a knowing look. She opened her mouth when he stopped her from making a valid rant, "And I'm not blaming Cap, believe it or not."

Ada only stared at him in surprise when he said that. She wasn't sure if he was lying. After training with Natasha for a few years, she had gotten better at reading emotions. There were a select few who had mastered the art of masking their emotions, but Tony wasn't one of them. He was being serious.

"Thought you didn't approve of me liking anyone," she muttered crossly.

"What I don't approve of is anyone who sees you as nothing more than a trophy kid," he corrected her. Ada rose an eyebrow at that. She crossed her arms, hoping for a better explanation. "Look, I've always known that you're capable of taking care of yourself, especially around guys. My job as a dad is to protect you, though. And, when I see someone who can do just as good of a job at doing that, it kind of makes me a bit jealous."

It took a few seconds for that explanation to sink in. Ada stared at Tony for a moment, unsure of what to say as realization dawned on her. She knew that Tony had enough issues with Steve when it came to Captain America. They had finally begun to respect one another while on the field, and even outside of work. But, Howard Stark had constantly praised Captain America for everything he did. He never once considered how his praise would affect Tony, in the end.

By the time she was able to understand what Tony meant, she burst out laughing. The incredulous look that followed made it all the more hilarious. She had been bracing herself for whatever punishment would follow after Natasha's big reveal. Instead, Tony took her by surprise by explaining why he had been so against seeing them together.

"Dad, I don't think you have to worry about anything serious happening between us," she reassured him after finally catching her breath. Tony rose an eyebrow in surprise as she looked down at the ground, suddenly feeling sheepish, "Look, I don't even know if we're compatible, not to mention he's not interested in me… at least not in that way."

Tony drew in a sharp breath. Carefully, he placed a hand on Ada's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Even after all the fighting and constant arguments between them, it didn't stop him from trying to be a father. He cared enough to know when something was bothering her, and this had clearly been eating at her for some time.

"I've seen the way that man looks at you, Ada," he pointed out. "Believe me when I say there aren't too many people who can get away with that look without earning a black eye. He has feelings for you, even if he's being a stubborn ass about it."

She couldn't hide the blush that followed even if she wanted to. Was she really that blind? Truthfully, she hadn't even noticed. Yet, when she looked back at it, they had talked about it on more than one occasion before parting ways. Dating had just been put on the back burner because she needed to get back to the mansion and keep an eye on Tony.

Though, Ada never wanted to admit out loud that she was also terrified of taking things the next step. Between her fallout with Emmett and her lack of faith in herself, she wasn't sure what was worse. She didn't want to hurt Steve. He of all people deserved better, as far as she was concerned.

"So, what you're saying is, you don't mind if we start dating?" she asked cautiously, already aware that this was a testy subject for him.

She wondered if Pepper managed to finally get through to him. The strawberry blond had been trying to convince Tony that letting her do things that most teenagers her age did was a good idea. Getting to experience normal things every now and then was a good thing, especially since there was so much she had missed out on.

"Yeah, I guess so," he finally nodded, wrinkling his nose in disdain.

Ada merely smirked as she caught the look. Though he would never admit it out loud, she suspected he was grateful it had been Steve of all people who happened to be interested in her. If he was. She still didn't have proof over the matter, and some small part of her wasn't sure if she wanted that proof. As long as Tony wouldn't kill them over the matter, she wasn't too concerned over what would happen next.

* * *

 **AN: So I decided to take the chapter titles away since I haven't been feeling very inspired as far as titles are concerned... I highly doubt anyone would miss them as much, but I did label the different parts to the story. Since no one reviews, I figured it wouldn't matter too much.**


	52. Chapter Fifty Two

**Chapter Fifty Two**

The Tower was bustling with activity as the team began parting ways for the beginning of the year. Clint had a mission to go on with Natasha the following week. The two assassins had been keeping the mission rather quiet, though Ada suspected it had something to do with the drug bust in Mexico that occurred a week ago. There was still a fresh scar on the country left by the drug lord responsible. The worst part was, he'd used mutants to do the dirty work in protecting his payload.

Mutant trafficking in itself was an all-too-common problem across the world. Ada could still remember hearing reports or reading about them through SHIELD. Since they had become such an issue, Fury tried working with Professor Xavier on the matter, though, Ada suspected he wouldn't want SHIELD getting involved with their problems.

Banner had unsurprisingly decided to remain on the run once New Year's was over. He'd explained to Tony that staying in the states for too long was dangerous for him. It was better for everyone if he stayed on the move, despite what Ada tried reassuring him. She knew it wasn't easy for him. Staying on the move meant there was less of a chance that he would Hulk out and hurt someone in the process.

That left her with Tony, Pepper and Steve. To Ada's surprise, and Tony's utter annoyance, Steve chose to stay until his new apartment in Washington D.C. was finished being set up. Ada was the first to hear that he'd decided to work at SHIELD's main headquarters in Washington.

Director Fury had asked her to join Steve and Natasha on their recon missions a few weeks prior to Steve's decision. She knew this was his way of making sure that someone kept an eye on how Steve was handling missions from the twenty-first century. But, Natasha was also capable of reviewing whatever Steve did. Besides, part of her wanted to stay behind and help Tony finish the mansion's renovation.

His insistence that she join the team left her feeling both frustrated and helpless. Getting closer to Steve was something that she constantly thought of. Her mind continuously tried forming excuses that would hopefully get her out of agreeing with his mission.

The problem was, she couldn't reach a conclusion. Each time it seemed she reached an answer to the problem at hand, she hit a roadblock. Director Fury made a valid point when he mentioned it would help if he had someone he was familiar with working alongside him. Not to mention they had worked together multiple times before any decisions about Washington were made.

 _Why can't it be as easy as snapping my fingers together_? she wondered.

"Are you sure about this?" Steve's voice brought her back to reality.

She couldn't help but glance at him self-consciously. Her thoughts on what Director Fury asked of her left her mind spinning with countless possibilities. Ada had no doubt that Steve would never agree to be her neighbor if he knew her real motives.

She shook her head at the thought. She needed to focus on the present, not the future. Now, she was standing in the middle of the sparring mat with Steve on the other side. Both had been unsure of where to go with their day. Since Tony was busy trying to deal with whatever mess happened at Stark Industries with Pepper's help, they were alone. That made things all the more awkward as she tried figuring out what to say or even do.

"Steve, I've gotten my ass handed to me by Clint and Natasha on a daily basis for the last five years," she reminded him with a shrug. "This probably won't be any different."

A sparring session had come as a last resort. It was snowing outside, and bitterly cold. Ada had already promised a cup of hot chocolate when it was all said and done, along with a movie from his time. They tried coming up with ideas to pass the time. Board games was the first suggestion Steve made, but the Tower didn't have any. Ada finally reached a suggestion they could both agree with. She knew she was anything but easy to deal with when they were alone. So, she was grateful Steve hadn't been too terrified and agreed to find something to do.

"I've just… I've never had to hurt another girl before," he admitted, suddenly looking sheepish when he realized the position he'd put himself in.

Ada almost laughed at his expression, until she noticed he was being serious. This wasn't the first time she had to remind herself that Steve wasn't originally from this century. She rose an eyebrow in surprise and cocked her head to one side in amusement.

"Well, today's your lucky day." She didn't miss the fact that Steve's cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink. "Believe me, I can take a hit."

"I don't know…"

Steve was already beginning to have second thoughts about this idea. When he agreed to spending time at the gym, he had been hoping to use the punching bag or possibly go for a run. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally hurt her. Though, he was fully aware that she could take more than a few hits. He'd seen what she was capable of in a firefight.

"You're not afraid, are you?"

Though she knew she was taunting and pushing her limits, it seemed to work. Steve's eyes shot up the moment she said that. Faster than she thought possible, he lunged. Ada moved to the side before Steve could reach her, catching him by surprise when she sent him flying to the floor.

Not for the first time, Ada was thankful that Natasha taught her a few moves to catch people off guard. The look Steve gave her when he jumped back to his feet was priceless.

"Nat trained you?" he asked after recovering from his initial surprise.

"Back when I first joined SHIELD," she gave a nod, dodging to the side when their session continued, "Technically, Clint was my teacher before I graduated to Natasha. Said there wasn't anything else to teach me, but I think he got tired of putting up with me."

She could still remember the constant arguments they would get into during sparring practice. There were times when she thought he would use her for target practice after getting so frustrated. The only reason Clint hadn't taken his anger out on her was because Coulson got in the way. Her former handler had always been there to keep an eye on her training. Despite knowing that she could take care of herself, Coulson also cared enough to make sure that things never got too out of hand between them.

"You were only fourteen when you first joined," Steve pointed out with a huff.

He managed to land a blow to her cheek, but it wasn't hard enough to leave her reeling with pain. She rolled to the side just as he tried aiming for an opening. Their movements became more calculated over the next few blows.

"Your point being?" she retorted when she caught his fist this time. Her reflexes had gotten better over the years. Steve seemed to sense that, because he went for an unexpected move and swung out his right leg. She let out a gasp when she landed on the mat seconds later. "Fury thought it would be good for me to have early access to training; learning to defend myself was the best excuse they could come up with."

Steve looked at her incredulously when he finally had her pinned to the floor. He knew there was more to that story than she was letting on. SHIELD never wanted her to join the agency. The Council had been against it from the very beginning because she was so young, and had powers. It was Fury who had been so intent on her joining.

"You wanted to learn more about yourself," he guessed after realization dawned on him.

She gave a faint nod, feeling her heart race a little when their eyes met. Though he still had her pinned, he wasn't putting any extra weight on her. He made it seem effortless taking her down, and that irritated her.

"I wanted to learn more about my people," she admitted. "I thought that if anyone had the answers to my questions, SHIELD would."

A sudden pang of guilt stabbed at her heart when she thought of all the lies she had to tell Tony years before he found out. She could still remember coming back home with fresh bruises and injuries that couldn't be explained. Most of the time, she would lock herself away until she found a valid excuse. Steve was ready to say something else when her phone suddenly went off. Both exchanged looks of surprise, and for a moment, Ada was afraid Tony might have had Jarvis record the whole thing.

While Tony may have told her that he was okay with her decision to date someone like Steve, that didn't mean she would jump at the opportunity. Something in the back of her mind told her that he would act out of sheer instinct if he noticed there was anything suspicious going on between them.

" _Ada, are you there_?" Darcy Lewis's voice sounded on the other end. Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise at the sound of her voice.

"Uh, kind of," she replied after realizing Jarvis had answered it for her. She would need to thank the AI when she had the chance, "You mind letting me up?"

She glanced at Steve sheepishly, suddenly aware of how close they had been to reaching a mutual understanding. Steve's cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink when he realized too late that she was still pinned underneath him.

" _Wait, who's on top of you_?" The sound of laughter echoed on the other end, and Ada had to roll her eyes at Darcy's sense of humor.

"I'd rather not say," she admitted. She chewed the bottom of her lip guiltily when she glanced in Steve's direction. "Is there any reason you're randomly calling me? It's not even noon."

Ada knew Darcy was infamous for sleeping in until noon. The two of them had been keeping in touch, despite Jane's protests over the fact that she worked for SHIELD. Darcy was a fun person to talk to, and easy to get along with. That was one of the many reasons she decided to keep in touch with Jane's assistant.

" _Could you possibly maybe join us in London_?" Darcy suddenly asked. Ada's brow rose higher than she thought possible. It was the most random question she could have been asked, and she wasn't expecting Darcy of all people to ask her. " _It's so boring here, and all Jane does is sulk about the fact that Thor isn't around. She's gotten to the point where she sits around on a couch all day and mopes_."

By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh. Something told her that Jane wouldn't forgive Darcy for inviting her on a trip to London. Yet, it was an opportunity to see how they were doing in person. She hadn't seen either of them since New Mexico. Selvig had mentioned that they were fine after the battle of Manhattan, but it would be good to see them again.

"I'm sure my father won't mind," she chuckled with a shake of her head. "Are you sure Jane's going to be okay with me visiting?"

Jane hadn't quite gotten over the fact that she worked for SHIELD. Another pang of guilt followed when she recalled how they found out in the first place. Jane only found out after Thor left Earth. Ada had been reluctant to tell her for a reason, but after that, she didn't have much of a choice when Coulson showed up at their doorstep.

" _Jane can suck it if she gets all pissed off_ ," Darcy brushed it off as though it was nothing. At that point, Ada was smothering a fit of laughter when she caught the incredulous look written across Steve's face. Darcy wasn't aware that she had her phone on speaker. " _Look, just get your butt over here so I can have someone fun to talk with_."

"I'll see what I can do," Ada reassured her once she made it clear she didn't have a choice.

Going to London wouldn't be too big of a deal. She doubted Tony would be upset with the idea of her going on a trip. Especially since it meant spending time away from Steve. Though, when she caught the look Steve was giving her, she wondered if that was such a good idea.

"Darcy Lewis?" he asked with a raised brow.

"We met during the incident in New Mexico," she explained with a shrug, "Darcy wanted to keep in touch… I figured it's a good idea, since she's fairly easy to get along with."

Well, she was easier to get along with than Jane, that was for sure. Not that Ada had anything against Jane. She just wished the other woman would start seeing eye-to-eye with her. The only reason she'd been to New Mexico in the first place was to see if Jane had information on her people.

She let out a sigh when they left the gym after that. Something in the back of her mind told her that things would have taken a different turn if Darcy hadn't called. Steve's blush said it all. Even if they hadn't planned on moving forward as anything more than friends, a small part of her _wanted_ more.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have pushed you the way I did," she suddenly apologized as they headed up the stairs. The main living room would feel strangely empty since both Tony and Pepper were away. Since they did leave for a business trip, Ada and Steve made a point to spend the afternoon either training or watching movies. Or, possibly both. "The last thing I want is to make things awkward."

"We're way past that," Steve pointed out.

Ada flinched when she glanced at him self-consciously. She knew she was pushing her luck with Steve. Not for the first time, she found herself thinking back to what Tony told her.

 _We're never going to get anywhere by arguing like this_ , she thought bitterly. She wished it was as easy as admitting her feelings. Yet, each time she tried thinking of a reason to admit them, something would come up. Whether she found an excuse to slip away, or vise-versa, she never got the chance. The worst part was, she didn't know whether he felt the same way. _Maybe it's time I stopped trying to focus on my feelings_.

Life was complicated enough without love forcing its way into her heart. Steve didn't bother pressing any further on the subject since the morning they woke up together on the couch. She wasn't even sure if he did feel the same way. True, they spent more time together over the last few months, but that was only because she had been teaching him how to use modern technology.

She shook her head at the thought. Waiting certainly wasn't getting her anywhere. The longer she waited, the harder it would be to admit the truth. She let out a sigh when she reached the balcony looking over the city.

Maybe a trip to London would be a good way to take her mind off of the matter. Anything was certainly better than the rush of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. A vacation was something that she desperately needed, now more than ever.

* * *

 **AN: Since FF was having so much trouble getting the site back in order the other day, I figured I would update today rather than yesterday. This doesn't mean I'll be updating every Sunday, but I wanted to give readers something. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring, or unbelievable. I do want to go into Thor: Dark World and move on from one movie to the next, until we reach the Winter Soldier and AOU... After that, I'm not sure what I'll be doing. Huge thanks to BriaKayee for reviewing; reviews are always greatly appreciated, and provide further motivation :)**

 **BriaKayee - Thanks for reviewing; hopefully this chapter was satisfying enough, though the next one may be just a hint shorter since it's more of a filler ^^**


	53. Part Five, Chapter Fifty Three

**Chapter Fifty Three**

"And you're sure you have everything you need?" Tony's voice sounded on the other end of the phone while Ada had set it on the sofa beside her suitcase. After a hasty decision to join Darcy and Jane during their stay in London for a week, she was beginning to regret telling Tony about it. He was acting like an overprotective father again, calling her every other hour to make sure everything was going well. Before she'd boarded the plane, Tony had been there, and he'd even called when the plane landed. "Last thing I need is to hear that something went wrong while you're in London on your own."

"Dad, would you relax?" she stopped him before he could keep asking a million questions, "I'm already at the apartment, and I've got all my luggage. If I need anything, I'll use the credit card you gave me. Alright? You can call tomorrow when I've finished settling in."

She could practically hear the exasperation in his voice when he let out a sigh. She knew he cared about her wellbeing. Ada was grateful that he cared so much about her. There was a point in their lives when it seemed as if he never gave a damn. There were times when Ada missed those moments when she had the freedom to do whatever she wanted without him questioning her. Now, she was desperate to get away from whatever questioning he had for her motives.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Just promise me you won't do anything crazy while you're there."

Ada glanced up from her phone to see Darcy sitting at the table smothering a fit of laughter. The brunette had been watching for most of the time while struggling not to laugh. She was already getting a kick out of Ada's stay at their apartment.

"Yeah, I promise," she rolled her eyes and hung up before he could make any other complaints.

"God, I'm glad you finally showed up when you did," she gasped out after catching her breath.

 _Well, I'm glad someone's getting enjoyment out of this_. Ada couldn't help but shake her head at the thought.

She'd jumped at the chance to visit London when Darcy offered it. She only hoped it would take her mind off of the one problem that kept rushing back. Thinking about Steve and how she would handle the situation with him wasn't helping matters. Fury wanted them to work together during missions. If they started seeing each other as more than friends, she wasn't sure how that would play out.

"Thanks again for offering me a place to stay."

She began sorting through the week's worth of clothing she'd taken with her. She was only staying for a week – the last thing she wanted was to overstay her welcome. Darcy had been kind enough to invite her in the first place. If she didn't get along with Jane, then at least she wouldn't give Jane further reason to feel annoyed towards Darcy's actions.

"Considering you're willing to take the couch, I figured that's the least I could do," Darcy replied with a shrug. "So, what exactly is going on with you and Captain America?"

Ada let out a sigh and looked down at the floor guiltily. She wished there was a better way to explain the situation. Instead, she was stuck feeling hopelessly lost and confused. Love was complicated. That was the first thing Natasha told her during their training sessions, and the first thing she learned after her fallout with Emmett.

"It's complicated," she explained warily. She set aside a pair of jeans and pulled out a t-shirt. London was infamous for being cold and rainy, so she'd taken a couple of sweaters with her. Luckily, Darcy found a place where she could put her clothing while she stayed at their apartment. "He's sweet and caring, but… the boss wants us to work together on missions."

More importantly, Director Fury had asked if she would be willing to move in across from each other in Washington D.C. Ada hadn't jumped at the opportunity. At least, not until she had an idea of what they would be doing together. Missions were one thing, but he'd already pushed the limits by asking her to show him how modern technology worked.

Darcy hummed in understanding as she reached for a glass of water, handing one over so that she could join her on the couch. It may not have been much, but it was certainly better than nothing. She'd taken the couch when she was staying with Banner during their time together, so she wasn't a stranger to sleeping in uncomfortable places.

"That does sound complicated," she said thoughtfully. "I mean, not as complicated as Jane dating Thor, but… you know keeping your feelings bottled up isn't going to help, right?"

She eyed Ada curiously when she paused in unpacking. The thought never occurred to her. Truthfully, she wasn't even sure how to express her feelings. She didn't want to hurt Steve, and she certainly didn't want to make things worse between them. The worst thing he could do was turn her down. That alone was what terrified her the most.

She knew Steve wasn't the kind of person who would try to hurt someone on purpose. But, that didn't stop Ada from thinking the worst-case scenario would happen. Fear of rejection was what left her from admitting the truth in the first place. That among various other reasons.

"I've never thought of it like that," she admitted guiltily.

"Look, I'm no expert when it comes to dating, but I do know that if your powers are based off of emotions and how strongly you feel, they could backfire on you," Darcy pointed out.

She was one of the few people who appreciated the powers Ada had. While Darcy was the kind of person who would take full advantage of powers like hers, she didn't. Instead, she made Ada feel at home and at ease talking with her. Though, that didn't stop the heat from rising to her cheeks at the thought of her abilities.

 _Is it possible that my powers could spiral out of control_? she wondered.

She'd lost control before, and the thought terrified her that she could hurt innocent people along the way. Ada's fists clenched as she tried pushing the thoughts away. She couldn't let that happen. Not when there was so much to lose.

"What the hell is this?" Both of them looked up at the sound of Jane's voice. Ada suddenly found herself sinking deeper into the couch when she noticed the scowl written across her face. "Darcy, you _know_ how I feel about bringing random visitors to our apartment!"

"Yeah, well, it got pretty boring here after you started moaning about Thor not showing up," Darcy retorted without missing a beat. "I invited Ada as a _friend_."

"Who also happens to work for SHIELD," Jane argued.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Ada suspiciously. She'd never gotten quite over the fact that Ada worked for SHIELD. Not that Ada couldn't necessarily blame Jane for her lack of trust.

"The good news is, the boss doesn't even know I'm here," Ada reassured her with a shrug. Though, she doubted that would help alleviate the tension between them. She knew it would take more than quitting SHIELD to gain Jane's trust. "I'm here solely for a vacation."

"From what?"

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip once more. The flicker of doubt returned at full-force, this time stronger than before. She was beginning to wonder if there was a single person who trusted her because of SHIELD. Even Tony would sometimes get suspicious of her activity, though he never questioned her like Jane did.

"She's doing some soul searching," Darcy explained for her. "Apparently, she has a massive crush on Captain America."

"I do not!" she snapped almost immediately.

Darcy's eyes danced with laughter as she backed down. Though, Jane's face softened as realization dawned on her. She had a hard enough time admitting that she had feelings for Steve. The last thing she wanted or needed was other people guessing the same thing. Maybe Jane did understand what she was going through, at the moment.

"Alright, fine… you can stay here, but only if you promise to leave SHIELD out," she sighed after finally giving in.

Ada let out a sigh of her own. Her shoulders dropped in relief when Jane left it at that. She knew she could have easily found a hotel to stay at, but crashing at a friend's place was the best option she could look for.

"Thank you," she whispered when she finished putting away the last contents of her clothing.

"I uh, hate to ask one favor, but, do you know what happened to Thor after that battle in Manhattan?" Jane suddenly asked.

That was enough for Ada to flinch visibly. She had been hoping to avoid that question all-together. Thor left to make sure that Loki faced justice for what he did. Yet, he also left because it was necessary. She could still remember him explaining that Odin hadn't been happy when he left in the first place. After all, Earth should have been capable of fixing its own problems.

"He talked about you a lot," she replied after remembering what Coulson had said about Jane missing Thor greatly. Darcy's complaints about Jane moping around had only confirmed what he said. She knew SHIELD was keeping an eye on them, though she planned on leaving that out. "He wished he could visit, but duty called on Asgard."

Jane hung her head at the mention of Asgard. It couldn't have been easy, falling for someone who wasn't from this world. Ada was suddenly reminded of her own heritage when she thought about it. A small part of her wondered if things would be different had her people not been hunted down. Life worked in mysterious ways. Ada had a feeling that Jane would see Thor again.

"I hate not knowing what's happened to him," she murmured when she finally took a seat. "He promised that he would return, and he hasn't kept that promise."

 _Some promises can't be kept_ , a small voice pointed out in the back of her head.

"Jane, I don't think Thor planned on breaking his promise," she tried pointing out. She hadn't missed the scowl written across Darcy's face at the mention of Thor. It was obvious that she'd gotten tired of hearing Jane talk about him. Though, she couldn't necessarily blame her. "Some things just came up that were out of his control."

"I know," Jane muttered, though she didn't look happy upon reaching that conclusion. "I just wish things could be different."

 _You and me both_ , Ada thought bitterly.

Part of her understood what Jane was going through. To know that the man she loved had been on Earth and ignored her completely must have hurt. But, it wasn't as if Thor had a choice. Loki had attacked Earth, and they needed to work together to stop him.

The rest of that evening was spent in strangely comfortable silence. Ada had offered to help make dinner since there wasn't much in the refrigerator. It was the least she could do for Jane letting her stay. Though technically, it had been Darcy's idea to invite her.

Dinner consisted mostly of small talk about what Jane had been up to since they parted ways, along with Darcy. She had apparently been doing more research on finding ways to reach out to Thor. While most of that research had reached a dead end, she had instruments that picked up energy readings throughout the city.

"The sad thing is, none of those devices worked until we left the city," Darcy muttered halfway into the conversation. "They wouldn't even work around Stonehenge, and you'd think that's where they'd work."

Ada studied the device that she mentioned thoughtfully. It looked like something out of a science fiction film. What had once been a toaster now had a sleek looking energy reader attached to it. Though, what really caught Ada's attention was the fact that Jane put it together with mostly rubber bands and what looked like tape.

"That's because Stonehenge is just a myth," Jane pointed out.

"You say aliens didn't build it, even though people like Thor exist along with Asgard," Darcy grumbled.

"Technically, aliens exist too," Ada reminded them with a pointed look.

She was always the first to remind those who knew of her heritage that her people didn't come from Earth. There were so many times when she wished she knew where the Aliquid came from. Something told her Nadia had been keeping that information secret for a reason.

"Exactly!" Darcy snapped her fingers together as if to prove her point.

Jane only rolled her eyes at the pair, though even she was struggling not to laugh when they started arguing among themselves. Even she couldn't deny that it was good to have some kind of break in their normal routine. Ada hadn't missed how quickly Jane's attitude changed the moment she and Darcy began arguing with each other.

"Thanks again for making dinner; it's nice not ordering out for a change," she admitted after they'd finished cleaning everything.

Darcy had retreated to the bedroom to grab extra sheets Ada could sleep on since the couch wasn't covered. While she wasn't opposed to the idea, Darcy insisted it was the least they could offer.

"It's no problem, really," Ada reassured her with a small smile, "Honestly, I'm glad that you agreed to let me stay… I think a vacation is just what the doctor ordered."

 _In more ways than one_ , she added silently.

"I've got the bed sheets!" Darcy exclaimed upon returning from the room. "Hopefully they'll be warm enough."

She didn't bother pointing out that she wasn't concerned about staying warm. Instead of arguing, Ada set up the couch so that she had a place to sleep while Jane and Darcy took the beds. While it wasn't the most ideal sleeping condition, it was better than sleeping on the floor. And for the first time in weeks, she finally got a full night's sleep.

* * *

 **AN: SPOILER ALERT FOR RAGNAROK! Am I the only one who was super annoyed with the way they handled Thor and Jane with Ragnarok? While I was never fond of her character, they could have at least had a more viable excuse for not including her and the others in the movie. END SPOILER ALERT!**

 **Yeah... that's the only rant I have for that movie, other than how much I loved it, and the Black Panther :) At any rate, hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring. We're finally transitioning into Thor: Dark World, which means updates may be a little slower. I had a hard time trying to fit Ada into this movie, but hopefully I will give it some justice. Huge thanks to Heh309 for reviewing! They do encourage me to write more, and inspire me to find more ideas for the story :)**

 **Heh309 - Thank you! I'm honestly surprised you were able to read through the whole thing; there are still quite a few mistakes I made along the way, though I plan on fixing them in the near future. I am grateful that you're enjoying it so far; hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter as well :)**


	54. Chapter Fifty Four

**Chapter Fifty Four**

It was early in the afternoon when Ada found herself sitting on the couch with Darcy beside her, and a bowl of popcorn in hand. The two of them had begun a routine where they would stay up all hours of the night and wake up in the afternoon to watch some British comedies and Doctor Who. Within two days, Ada was beginning to enjoy the time off she had. It was a nice change in pace compared to having to get up early in the morning, and work tirelessly throughout the day.

Jane had left earlier to meet with someone at a restaurant. She suspected it had something to do with the random phone call she'd gotten the other day. The blond had been ridiculously nervous, and it took both Darcy and Ada to finally calm her down enough. Relief swept over Ada when Jane finally decided to leave before it was too late.

"How much do you wanna bet she's out on a date?" Darcy asked nonchalantly through a mouthful of popcorn.

Ada couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Darcy was sprawled out on the couch beside her, and had pieces of popcorn scattered along the couch and the floor. On any other given day, she would have been pissed that her only sleeping area was compromised. But, Darcy made being bored look easy.

"You really think she'll follow through with it?" she inquired after taking a sip of her water.

It seemed odd that Jane would suddenly decide to start dating after their conversation a couple of days ago. She knew how much Thor meant to Jane. Yet, waiting around forever wasn't always the answer. After experiencing her own share of heartache and longing, she understood full-well what Jane was going through.

"I dunno. Jane's not the kind of person who talks to men on a regular basis, so it would be hilarious to see how awkward it is between them," Darcy explained with a shrug.

They returned their attention to the television, though it didn't stop Ada from thinking of how quickly Jane changed her mind. She wondered if it had something to do with what they talked about two days ago. Something told her that if Jane really was feeling lonely, being around friends was the best thing for her.

She was about to grab a handful of popcorn when the doorbell suddenly rang. Ada tilted her head to one side in surprise. She certainly wasn't expecting company, and Jane wouldn't have likely returned from her 'date' so quickly.

"Can you answer that?" Darcy asked, offering a sheepish grin.

Raising an eyebrow at Darcy's question, Ada let out a sigh and set aside her drink. The apartment wasn't anything to boast about when it came to size. It was only a couple of steps to the door, though Darcy was currently occupied with a mouthful of popcorn.

 _Some things never change_ , she thought with the slightest smirks. There wasn't any point in arguing as she reached the door. What she didn't expect upon opening said door was to find a young looking man standing at the entrance. Darcy nearly dropped the bowl of popcorn she had been holding when she noticed the man in question. His sheepish expression didn't help matters when Ada eyed him up and down suspiciously.

"I'm uh, Ian Boothby," he explained in a meek tone. "I was hired by a Miss Darcy Lewis as an intern."

Ada's brow lifted higher than she thought possible. She looked at Ian skeptically until Darcy finally reached them, having abandoned her popcorn and the couch in her rush.

"Since when does an intern need an intern?" she asked as Darcy grinned at him.

"Since Jane became so boring and weepy over Thor," she replied cheekily. "Come on; I've been working my butt off trying to make sure that this place looks decent. I think the least I deserve is an intern of my own, especially one who's willing to work for _me_."

The pleading tone of her voice was enough for Ada to cross her arms and stare back defiantly. Jane wasn't going to be happy with another new face in their apartment. She was already on edge with Ada spending a week to begin with. The last thing she wanted was to get on her bad side.

"Exactly how did you manage to find an intern willing to work for you?" she asked skeptically.

"Through Craigslist," Darcy replied almost automatically.

She only rolled her eyes at that. Somehow, it didn't surprise Ada that Darcy would stoop to such a level. Ian didn't seem like a threat, though she wasn't sure whether he could be trusted or not. Instead of arguing over the notion of letting a stranger in, Ada decided to go with the flow. Of course, it didn't help that Ian kept looking at her curiously as Darcy put him to work almost immediately by ordering him to clean their mess.

"Are you Tony Stark's daughter?" he asked after a few minutes of awkward silence followed.

Darcy was the one who did most of the talking by explaining what the research equipment scattered around the area was for. She'd been fumbling with a particular device that Jane had given up on a few weeks ago. When Ada asked what the device was used for, Darcy tried explaining that it was supposed to be a phase meter. To Ada, it looked like it was nothing more than a toaster strapped with rubber bands and an egg-beater. Though, she knew Tony built his suit out of whatever scrap metal could be found when he was held by the Nine Rings in Afghanistan. At this point, she knew anything could be built when one put their mind to it.

"That would be me, though I prefer just being called Ada," she replied with a shrug.

Ian ducked his head in embarrassment after he realized he'd been staring for the last few seconds.

"This is gonna be fun," Darcy grinned in amusement when she noticed how awkward it was between the two of them.

 _As if spending an entire week with a stranger isn't bad enough_.

She knew it wasn't fair to complain. Considering Jane had been kind enough to let her stay, and Darcy thought of her first to invite her, she was grateful. Besides, the minnie-vacation had begun to turn out better than she expected. She'd just reached for a bottle of water when the device Darcy had been fumbling with started going off. Both jumped at the random noise, while Ian eyed the device quizzically when he noticed the oddly shaped equipment.

"Uh, Darcy, the device is beeping."

Ada almost laughed at the most obvious statement of the year. After seeing the way the device was set up, she wondered if it had taken a few too many beatings over the last few months. Most scientific equipment didn't randomly start going off unless it had a good reason.

"This thing hasn't gone off since before Erik went crazy," Darcy muttered under her breath. She reached for the device and started whacking it against the table in an attempt to stop it. "That usually works."

"Beating the crap out of something that looks like it could be expensive to replace doesn't seem like a good idea," Ada mused thoughtfully when she reached Darcy. Darcy just looked at the device in bemusement. She wasn't sure what was causing it to malfunction, though Ada suspected Jane would have a better understanding. "Maybe we should call Jane; I'm guessing she'd have an idea of what's going on with this thing."

"That would be helpful if she was _here_ ," the brunette countered.

By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh when Darcy continued banging it against the counter. She shook her head in disbelief as she took her phone out and started typing away. If there was one thing she had gotten better at over the years, it was keeping track over people. Though it was never intentional, it did come in handy when she tried figuring out where Tony disappeared to.

"She's on a hot date with a guy named Richard." That was enough to catch Darcy's attention. "You owe me twenty bucks."

…

As it turned out, Jane had gone on a date to a fancy restaurant within the city. Darcy and Ada weren't exactly dressed for the occasion, but that didn't mean they weren't above breaking a few rules. The device hadn't stopped beeping. After stuffing it in a small purse and grabbing whatever belongings they could, they made a beeline for the restaurant in question with Ian in toe.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip when they finally reached the restaurant. A few patrons were standing around outside, likely waiting for their tables. Most of them were dressed in clothing that could pass for a formal dinner. She should have known to pack a few dresses to at least try and blend in. Their decision to barge in on Jane's date had been so sudden that she didn't have the chance to change her mind.

"Hey, if I'm gonna get yelled at for barging in on her, I at least want someone there as a witness," Darcy had reminded her. "Besides, you're the one who figured out where she was."

Now, Ada was beginning to regret their sudden decision to leave the apartment. The hostess standing at the podium rose an eyebrow questioningly when she noticed their arrival. It was painfully obvious that they didn't belong in this kind of crowd when the woman scrutinized their attire.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"We're looking for Jane Foster," Ada explained before Darcy could run her mouth off.

She'd heard the condescending tone in the hostess's voice. Judging from the harsh glare Darcy threw her, they wouldn't likely be welcome at the restaurant after this.

"There she is!" Darcy exclaimed.

The hostess was ready to say something to keep them from rushing her when Darcy suddenly pushed past her. Ada bit back a sigh of frustration as she followed. She knew at that point that any chance of going back to the restaurant was ruined.

Darcy led the way through the restaurant to where Jane was sitting with another gentleman. The last thing she wanted was to intervene with their date. But, the device that had been beeping earlier hadn't stopped. If anyone could figure out how to make it stop, the person in question was Jane.

 _She's going to hate us for this_ , she told herself.

"Hi…" The man dragged out the word. He looked uneasy, and hadn't missed the fact that Jane kept looking at her menu as if it was the best thing she'd ever seen all day.

"Hi."

Ada rose an eyebrow at the awkward lack of conversation between them. It was obvious Jane hadn't been on a date for a while. Judging from how awkward he was around her, the man sitting across from her hadn't either.

"So, what's the story with you?" he asked.

"Why does there have to be a story? There's no story," Jane tried defending herself.

By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh when she realized how terrible of a liar Jane was. Darcy smothered her own laughter as they kept their distance for a short time. If things didn't improve between them, jumping in might be Jane's saving grace.

"You've spent the first ten minutes of our date hiding behind a menu that has three choices on it. It's either chicken, vegetarian or fish, Jane. I think there's a story and I'm thinking the story involves a guy."

"Well, that's one way to start a conversation," Ada muttered under her breath.

She understood how complicated love could be, though. After experiencing her own fallout with Emmett, she tried moving on. The only hitch in her plan happened to be Steve. She knew that the odds of actually admitting her feelings for him were slim.

"It's complicated."

"Is he still around?"

"No… he… he went away."

"I've been there." Ada nearly rolled her eyes as the guy tried emphasizing with her, "The going away part; it's hard. I'd been seeing a woman and uh, she took a job in New York. Eventually the distance killed it. And… And the fact that she uh… she kept sleeping with other dudes."

"No!" Jane exclaimed in mock disbelief.

"Do I even want to know what those two lovebirds are talking about?" Darcy asked when she reached her.

"Other than watching them make fools out of themselves, you really don't," Ada grimaced as she pushed Darcy towards the table.

"Hi, um, can we get some wine, please?" Jane asked while looking absentmindedly at the menu.

"Sure, I'd love some."

Ada watched in amusement as Darcy grabbed two chairs and pulled them towards the table. The screeching noise their metal tips made was enough to drawl everyone's attention. It was hard to take anything seriously when Darcy was involved. Jane's eyes widened in disbelief as she realized too late the new visitors they had. Though, Ada hadn't missed the fact that she looked almost relieved for a distraction from her date.

"Richard, this is Darcy and Ada," Jane introduced them in a tone that suggested they were both in for an earful.

"So, this is your idea of a date?"

Ada rose an eyebrow while trying to hide the smirk that followed when Richard eyed both of them up and down. It had already been awkward enough with Darcy randomly inviting her to stay at their apartment. The only thing she could hope for was that Jane would be in a forgiving mood once this was over.

"So, we showed up at your lab-slash-your mom's house," Darcy started after sitting down and grabbing a slice of bread, "fully expecting you to be moping around in your pajamas eating ice cream while obsessing over you-know-who—"

"Ah," Richard's eyes lit up with understanding. Try as she might, it was impossible for Jane to shake off the sudden embarrassment that followed.

"But you're not!" Darcy went on, "You're wearing lady's clothes, and you even showered, didn't you? You smell nice!"

By now, Ada was smothering a fit of laughter as Jane's expression turned to a mixture of embarrassment to horror. She should have known better than to think she would get away with going on a date without Darcy finding out, somehow.

"Is there a point to all of this?" Jane demanded when she noticed that Ada was struggling to maintain her composure, "Because there really has to be."

"The device," Ada whispered under her breath.

It hadn't stopped beeping since they first heard it. Luckily, Darcy brought the device with her in the hopes of Jane figuring out what was going on with it. She had been surrounded with lab tech for years, but the technology in Jane's apartment was beyond her understanding.

"Right. You know that scientific equipment you don't look at anymore? You might wanna start looking at it now," Darcy informed her. She pulled out the device she stuffed in her bag and handed it over. "This is the reason we came over here."

Jane looked at the device in surprise and tried tapping it a few times, "It's malfunctioning," she realized out loud.

"That's what I said," Darcy said. Jane suddenly started banging the device against the table, causing Richard to flinch. "That's what I did!" Ada only rolled her eyes when Darcy's eyes lit up with laughter. "But, you hit it a little more scientifically."

I'm sure it's nothing," Jane muttered, though it was a halfhearted attempt at hiding her sudden interest.

"Doesn't look like nothing," Darcy countered knowingly. "Kinda looks like those readings Selvig was rambling on about." Ada frowned at the mention of Erik Selvig. The last time she saw him was during the attack in Manhattan. After suffering from Loki's mind control, she could only imagine what had happened to him since then. "Erik kind of went banana balls after the whole Manhattan thing."

 _It's a wonder Clint didn't go insane after that_ , Ada thought after realizing he and a few others had suffered the same fate. Though, Clint had years of training with SHIELD, and it was impossible to compare two completely different people.

"I'm not interested," Jane tried brushing it off with a sharp rebuke, "I'm not interested. It's time for the two of you to go, now."

Ada winced at the tone of her voice. Jane was only trying to push away what she knew happened to be the truth. A few seconds of awkward silence followed as Darcy looked between Jane and Richard. The sheepish smile written across her face told Ada that this was far from over. Jane was interested in the readings. As much as she wanted to deny it, the readings had a connection to Asgard and Thor.

"Okay, let's go," Darcy sighed after realizing this was getting them nowhere.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Ada stood up and threw Jane a final look, "You know, I think Thor of all people would want you to move on and find some happiness in your life," she suddenly added before trailing after Darcy.

She added the last part with a wave of her hand, smirking in amusement when the water in Richard's glass began hovering in the air. Before he or Jane could make sense of what had happened, the water splashed over his lap. The glare Jane threw her was priceless, especially when she knew who was responsible for causing a scene.

"If I knew having you around would be this much fun, I would've invited you over a lot sooner!" Darcy burst out laughing as they made a run for the exit. It took a few seconds for either of them to catch their breaths as they headed for the Jeep. "Who knew having someone with powers around could be fun?"

"You've clearly never spent enough time with the Avengers," Ada replied without missing a beat.

Though, ironically enough, she and Thor were technically the only ones on the team with real powers. Clint and Natasha were fully trained assassins, while Tony had his Iron Man suit. The Hulk was a result of the Gamma radiation, so she wasn't sure if that would count, and Steve just had the Super Soldier Serum.

Darcy was struggling not to grin like an idiot as they sat in the Jeep while waiting for Jane. Ada knew it wouldn't take long for Jane to figure out the real reason behind their sudden departure.

"But in all seriousness, you and Captain America have been getting a bit cozy with each other, haven't you?"

Ada's face fell the moment Darcy brought that up. She was ready to defend herself when a shadow fell over them.

"You, in the back seat, now," Jane snapped when Darcy rolled down the window. Ada's shoulders sagged in relief as she did just that. Ian shifted uncomfortably as she sat down beside him. She wasn't entirely sure why Darcy insisted on bringing him along, especially since he technically shouldn't have been her intern to begin with. "I hate you so much."

"What? I thought he was cute," Darcy tried reassuring her.

As Darcy began driving while Jane continued rambling on about how horrible they were, Ada looked out the window self-consciously. Her thoughts had constantly jumbled over what to do about Steve and her current predicament with him. She knew more and more people would begin questioning whether there was something going on between them.

 _I went on this vacation to get him out of my mind_ , she tried scolding herself mentally.

"Who's he?" she asked.

Jane's questions cut through Ada's thoughts. Until she brought up Ian's presence in the backseat, Ada almost forgot he was there in the first place.

"My intern," Darcy explained.

"You have an intern?" Jane looked at Darcy in surprise.

"Oh, yeah."

"Hello, Doctor Foster. It's uh. It's a great honor to be working with you," Ian said gratefully.

"Right," Jane sighed in frustration. "I have to call Erik."

"Oh, uh… take a sharp left," Ian announced after looking back down at the coordinates. Ada glanced over his shoulder curiously, surprised to find that he managed to pull out a GPS on his phone after logging in the coordinates to the device, "Left!"

"I totally have driving in London mastered."

Ada's hands gripped the seat a little harder than she intended as she watched Darcy avoid several cars along the way, along with a couple of pedestrians. She had seen how bad a of a driver Tony could be. Watching Darcy only made her realize how much she missed his driving.

"Hi, Erik, it's me again. Where are you? I came here because you said you were onto something and then vanished."

Jane let out a sigh of frustration when she left a message on his voicemail. Ada rose an eyebrow as she recalled what Darcy had said. If Erik had gone crazy, he wasn't likely going to answer his phone anytime soon.

She let out her own sigh of relief when the Jeep finally reached the destination in question. Though, as Ada peered out of the window, she began to wonder if Ian had jotted down the right coordinates.

They were parked outside what looked like an abandoned factory. Busted windows covered the building. It looked as if sections of the roof had collapsed. The grounds themselves didn't look as if they had been maintained for years. The biggest challenge was trying to figure out how large the building was. They wouldn't be able to cover so much ground with just the four of them if it was huge.

"Come on, this is exciting!" Darcy tried lifting the mood when they stepped out of the Jeep. Jane just looked at her doubtfully as Darcy tried gesturing to Ian, "Look, the intern is excited!"

"It's Ian," Ian reminded her.

Ada shook her head and glanced at him apologetically. She doubted Darcy would remember his name anytime soon.

"You want the phase meter?" Sure enough, Darcy ignored him.

"No," Jane replied.

"Bring the phase meter," Darcy told the intern. "The toaster-looking thing."

Ian only rolled his eyes before heading back.

"I know what a phase meter is," he said over his shoulder.

She bit back a sigh of frustration and headed over to where Jane was standing. She was still staring at the building suspiciously. Ada couldn't help but chew the bottom of her lip as she noticed how ominous it looked. It was impossible to tell how long it had been abandoned, but she suspected it had been years ago.

"You weren't just talking about me finding happiness with someone else, were you?"

Jane's question caught Ada off guard. For a moment, she was half-tempted to refuse an answer when she thought better of it. Jane hadn't bothered trying to pry into her personal life when Darcy did, and she was grateful for that. She understood why Jane was so desperate to see Thor again. It hurt knowing that he'd been on Earth for a short time, only to return to Asgard without seeing Jane again during his visit.

"I've been having trouble figuring out what I want in my life," she admitted guiltily. "Part of me wants to keep training and figure out who or what I am… and to honor my people's legacy. But, another part of me wants to live my own life."

She swallowed hard, remembering how difficult it had been trying to find out what she was. There was a time when that was all that mattered to her. Now, she was beginning to wonder if there was another path she could take in her life.

"I understand." Ada looked at Jane in disbelief when she said that. "The whole wanting to live a normal life thing. Look, no one is asking you not to live one. You're in charge of your life, no one else."

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed when she realized what Jane meant by that. Though she didn't show it much, Jane did have her moments. Ada also realized with a start that Jane was right. Every decision she made was a result of finding out who she really was. Her people led their own path, despite what the Black Knights did to them.

' _If anyone deserves a chance at life, it is you, Ada_.'

She froze at the sound of Nadia's voice. She was ready to answer when Jane's phone suddenly went off. Ada glanced in her direction warily when she heard the ringtone, not missing the scowl written across the blonde's face. She turned to see Darcy struggling not to grin sheepishly at the look on Jane's face.

"How do I change the ringtone on my phone?" she asked warily.

"You would think an astrophysicist would be able to figure that one out," Darcy laughed when she and Ian joined them with the phase meter in hand.

"Why are you calling me?" Jane let out a sigh of annoyance as she hung up and stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

"I didn't want to shout. Intern says it's that way," Darcy replied, pointing in the direction of a building.

"It's Ian," Ian reminded her with a sigh of exasperation, "My name is Ian."

"Might as well get used to it," Ada muttered under her breath.

She crossed her arms as she followed the group towards the building. Though, the closer they got, the more she noticed how sinister it looked. The imposing structure seemed to tower above them, and the familiar sense of unease came rushing back. She shivered as she imagined eyes watching their every move. While she was used to SHIELD keeping an eye on her, along with Tony, this was something entirely different.

 _Keep yourself together, Stark_ , Ada scolded herself mentally.

She planned on treating this like any other mission. The years of training Clint and Natasha put her through taught Ada that observing her surroundings was key to winning the fight. Jane, Darcy and Ian were already well ahead while keeping an eye for whatever the phase meter had been tracking. Any anomalies that stuck out would be detected by the device, which happened to be beeping at the moment.

Everyone suddenly froze in their tracks when a flock of pigeons erupted from the windows. Ada almost smirked when she caught Darcy clinging on to Ian as if her life depended on it. It didn't take long for Ada to reach the conclusion that they weren't alone after hearing movement shuffling around them. The movement sounded too small and muffled for them to be adults, telling her that they weren't a threat, whoever they were.

"I am not getting stabbed in the name of science," she complained. "It's okay, we're Americans!"

"How the hell is that supposed to help?" Ada demanded after reaching them. Her eyes began wandering around the room until she finally spotted a shadow hiding behind one of a pile of junk. She tilted her head to one side when she noticed the shadow seemed to have a tiny shoe that belonged to them. "I think our little intruders aren't the threat we think they are."

Sure enough, a group of young looking kids emerged from their hiding places. Ada rose an eyebrow at the sight when they reached them. They looked at them with large, wary eyes after realizing that they'd been caught.

"Are you the police?" a little girl asked in a timid voice.

"No, we're scientists," Jane reassured her with a small smile, "Well, I am anyways."

"Gee, thanks," both Darcy and Ada said at the same time.

"We just found it," a boy put in after standing next to the little girl.

"Found what?" Ada asked curiously.

The kids exchanged wary looks. Trespassing was a serious crime that could have serious consequences. Ada wasn't surprised with their concern, or caution. Especially when four adults who happened to appear out of nowhere were involved.

"Will you show us?" Jane asked after leaning forward to make eye contact.

"Alright, follow us," the girl replied.

The children led them towards what Ada guessed was the confident gate. Judging from the way they moved with confidence, they were familiar with the layout with the building and had been there several times before.

The further they wandered inside the building, the louder Nadia's voice suddenly became. Ada flinched at the angry noise. She'd heard it before in the background, and tried brushing it away. She knew something wasn't right about this place. The sinister, almost ominous feeling about the building that left her feeling uneasy. Now, Ada understood the reason behind her unease. She noticed with a start that a truck was hovering in the air, and the kids walked around it as if they'd done so before as well.

"That doesn't seem right," Darcy mused thoughtfully.

The kids ignored her comment and began leading the way once more, this time towards a bridge that overlooked the floating truck. Ada watched curiously as one of the kids grabbed an empty glass bottle and dropped it without warning. Just as quickly as the bottle dropped, it suddenly disappeared.

"Where did it go?" Jane asked after her eyes widened in disbelief. The girl pointed towards the roof of the building, and they all looked up to see the bottle reappear as suddenly as it disappeared. Ada couldn't help but gape at the sight as they performed the same trick a few times before the girl finally caught it. "That's… that's incredible!"

Without warning, Ada suddenly grabbed another bottle and threw it in the same direction. Only this time, the bottle didn't return. She frowned when she noticed that the girl didn't look surprised. She only shrugged and brushed it off with a wave.

"Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don't," she explained.

"I wanna throw something! Jane, give me your shoe!" Darcy exclaimed when she realized what the room was capable of doing.

While she was busy throwing stuff, Jane looked down at the scanner once more. Her face lit up as she recognized the readings on the phase meter.

"Those readings look like the readings from New Mexico," Ada remarked thoughtfully after noticing how similar they were.

"You're right," Jane nodded in agreement. She glanced at Darcy and the others warily. "Don't touch anything!"

Ada only shook her head at the sight as Darcy and the others began throwing objects again. The readings were similar to the ones that Jane picked up from New Mexico. Not for the first time, she wondered if those readings were similar to the ones that Nadia had left behind when she used her powers. She could still remember the dreams of a woman sending a baby to another world with a blinding light. There were times when she wondered if any of her people had survived at all.

 _I don't even know if I'm the last of my kind_ , she thought bitterly.

She knew it was pointless to keep dwelling on the past. Nadia's voice kept echoing in the back of her mind, warning her of the hidden dangers in the background. She looked around cautiously, not missing how the walls felt as if they were closing in on themselves. She was hardly aware of the fact that Darcy's voice along with the kids had disappeared entirely. Her surroundings didn't get any better the further she walked. Something didn't feel right. The world around her felt almost off. Ada narrowed her eyes when she realized her instincts were right.

She was no longer on Earth. And she had no idea how to get back home.


	55. Chapter Fifty Five

**AN: So... this story has officially reached over fifty thousand views... It would be nice if someone out of those views would leave a comment. Anything would be better than nothing. It's discouraging to see so many views and not have some feedback and how I'm progressing :(**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty Five**

Frustration swelled within Ada as she glanced down at her phone once again. She kept trying to see if there would be a signal, somehow. The moment she pulled out her phone was when she knew something was wrong. The air around her suddenly changed. She noticed with a start that the walls began changing from the factory walls to that of ancient, stone walls.

Ada swallowed hard after realizing that even if she tried turning back, there wasn't a way back home. She tried getting her bearings, aware that if she was in a different world, finding someone who spoke English was the first order of business.

Once she reached that conclusion, Ada began wandering forward. A blinding light could be seen up ahead. She knew she couldn't keep wandering forever. The path had to lead somewhere. Darkness wasn't infinite. At least, that was all she could hope for. Lingering in one place for too long wasn't going to get her anywhere. Besides, she could already feel the air changing around her. The silence was what bothered Ada more than anything else.

 _Nadia hasn't said a thing since I showed up here_ , she thought.

Back in the warehouse, Nadia had been warning her about whatever she was getting herself into. The silence left her wondering if her mother was angry with her. The thought almost made Ada laugh. She knew it was ridiculous to think that way. But, hearing her mother's voice in her head was a ridiculous thought in itself.

Most people would have thought she was going insane if they knew she could hear voices in her head. Heck, maybe she _was_ going crazy. After all, she'd just been wandering through the warehouse when she ended up in an entirely different world.

Her shoulders sagged in relief when she finally emerged from the dark tunnel-like structure to an open world. Ada's eyes widened in disbelief as she tried taking in her new surroundings all at once. Stretched before her was a land that looked like something from a fantasy. Dark soil crunched under her feet, but flowers grew around it along with thick patches of grass. Large, ancient looking trees towered around her for miles.

Beyond the ancient looking forest was what looked like an open-air market. And beyond that lay a palace made of gold. Her heart nearly skipped a beat as she recognized the area almost immediately.

Thor had described what Asgard looked like during shawarma. He'd been adamant that the team at least know what his homeland looked like. Now, Ada was beginning to feel more than relieved that she bothered listening to his tales.

It explained why she had no cell service. Ada pulled her phone out once more to see that there was still no signal. She knew at that point there wasn't any chance of returning home. If she somehow managed to find Thor in this tangled mess of a city, he might have an idea of how she could return home.

Knowing that this was Asgard, Ada decided that the market was the best place to begin her search. Thor was the prince of Asgard, which meant that the people of this land would more than likely know where he was. If worse came to worse, she would find directions to the palace. Anything was better than being stuck in a world she knew nothing about.

 _Dad is going to kill me if he ever finds out where I am_ , she realized as she made her way down to the market. She had been trying to keep in touch with Tony since agreeing to meet with Darcy. He hadn't been happy with the idea of her going off on her own. It had taken more than a few hours to convince Tony that she was capable of taking care of herself.

For a while, she started wandering aimlessly. Ada tried blending in with the crowd of people that surrounded her. The task was easier said than done when she noticed how elegantly dressed they were. Most of them wore clothing that would have passed for outfits seen in the time of Vikings.

She suddenly felt more out of place than ever when she noticed that quite a few people stopped to look at her. Then again, she was an outsider to this world. The stalls in the market sold various objects that looked familiar, but most were so foreign that Ada couldn't even describe what they looked like.

"That's a mighty fine piece of jewelry you have there, lass," a voice suddenly spoke up. Ada's blood ran cold when an elderly looking man with a scraggly beard, baggy clothes and crooked grin approached her. She took a step back after noticing that he hadn't taken his eyes off her necklace. "It wouldn't happen to be for sale, would it?"

"I'm sorry," she tried apologizing. It was a feeble attempt at hiding the fear in her voice. Truthfully, what he said made her blood boil, and she wasn't sure how to act around a seedy looking stranger. Or what to say to them. "It's not for sale, and I was…" She paused, frantically looking for an escape from the merchant. Her eyes lit up when she finally recognized someone among the crowd. "I was looking for a friend of mine."

The elderly man rose an eyebrow at her response. She knew he was probably wondering how someone who clearly didn't belong in the market ended up there in the first place. Ada was just thankful after she reached the newcomer in question. Relief swept through her when Fandral spotted her.

"Ada Stark?" Fandral the Dashing. They'd met when he was in New Mexico along with the rest of the Warrior's Three. The moment he saw her was when he recognized her as well, though his expression changed from confusion to concern when he noticed the merchant hassling her. "What are you doing here?"

Ada threw the merchant a cold look. His face fell after noticing that Fandral had recognized him as one of the merchants who tended to swindle customers. Today was no different as he tried finding his own escape route.

"I was trying to escape a petty thief," she explained with a shrug. "I'm kind of glad I ran into you, though."

"I am grateful as well, Lady Stark," Fandral replied. To her surprise, he took hold of her hand and kissed it lightly as a form of greeting. "But that does not answer my question."

Her cheeks flushed when she realized what he meant by that. She had been hoping to run into someone she knew while at the market. Now that she did, she wasn't even sure how to explain why she was there in the first place.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping you'd be able to answer that question," she admitted sheepishly. "I'm honestly not even sure how I ended up on Asgard."

For a moment, it didn't look as if he believed her. Fandral just tilted his head in confusion at her odd story. It wasn't as if people randomly started showing up on Asgard all the way from Midgard. The readings Jane picked up from her device left Ada wondering if that had something to do with her arrival on Asgard.

 _Anything is possible_ , she reminded herself.

"The others may have an answer to your question, Lady Stark," Fandral replied after giving her explanation some thought. "Perhaps it is best if you stay with me, for your own safety until we meet the others."

Ada was ready to argue when something stopped her. She knew that if she refused his help, she would only get lost wandering again. It was definitely safer staying with someone who knew the area better than she did.

…

Darcy had begun pacing again in front of the warehouse. Once the rain started falling, she knew that they were in for a long wait.

She should have known better than to let Jane and Ada wander off on their own. Ada was capable of taking care of herself – it was Jane she had been more concerned about. Since the pair disappeared a few hours ago, Darcy had seriously begun to think that she should call someone. SHIELD was out of the question – Jane would never forgive her if she did that – but she could always call Jane's mother, or the police.

Eventually, she was forced to do just that. The moment the cops showed up was when all hell broke loose. They began asking for identification and for the children to be shipped home once they were caught. The cops were still asking questions when she finally spotted a familiar figure emerge from one of the buildings.

"Jane! Where the hell were you? Where's Ada?" she demanded once Jane reached them.

Intern had been busy trying to settle things with the cops, though he did a worse job at keeping the tension from rising than she did. She had a tendency to make things worse than they already were, and today's questioning had been no different.

"Tell me you didn't call the police?" Jane retorted with equal annoyance.

That was enough for Darcy's face to falter. She had been worried sick about Jane. Hearing the tone of Jane's voice was just another reminder of why she had asked Ada to spend a week or two with them. It was almost as if Jane had become more like her older self than Darcy would have cared for.

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Not call the police!"

"I was freaking out!"

It was more than that. Jane hadn't disappeared randomly like that for months, and her depression over Thor not returning made it that much worse. Darcy had seriously considered calling SHIELD. It meant betraying what trust Jane had in her, but at least they would have had an idea of what happened to her.

"You call the cops they tell the feds, the next thing you know we have SHIELD crawling all over area fifty-one and wanting the place."

"Jane!"

"We had a stable gratification anomaly, we had unheeded access. Our only competition was ten years old!"

"Jane, you were gone for five hours!" Darcy finally had enough with Jane's rant. She had been worried sick. "You disappeared for five hours, and so did Ada!"

For once, Jane didn't know what to say when realization finally dawned on her. The look written across her face was priceless when she finally understood why Darcy had been so worried.

"What?"

…

Ada had to admit, she was grateful to see so many familiar faces again. Fandral had taken her to a local pub where the others were waiting for him. To her surprise, Lady Sif had been the first to greet her upon arrival, soon followed by Hogan and Volstagg. All three of them had been warm and welcoming upon her arrival, despite how random it had been.

Then came the flood of questions that followed. She had been bracing herself mentally for them. It only made sense that people would be so curious as to why she had suddenly arrived on Asgard. The problem was, even she couldn't explain that answer.

"Even I can't explain that answer properly," Ada admitted after looking down at the floor. Fandral had offered her a mug of ale, but she turned down the offer after noticing how much stronger Asgardian alcohol was compared to Earth. "We were investigating anomalies when I ended up getting lost in a warehouse… somehow, I ended up here on Asgard."

"These anomalies… were the readings in certain areas?" Lady Sif asked curiously.

She'd grabbed another mug of ale after downing her first. The men took it upon themselves to drink as much as they could before they left the pub, much to Ada and Lady Sif's annoyance. Her question, however, was enough to catch Ada off guard.

"Yeah," Ada replied with a faint nod. She couldn't help but think back to how it had been strange that the anomalies seemed to occur in certain areas. It was obvious that the warehouse had been a hot-spot for said anomalies, though she wasn't sure why. "Did they have something to do with whatever is going on here?"

Lady Sif's brows furrowed together thoughtfully.

"It is possible… there is an ancient story that is passed down from generation to generation," she explained warily. "But, it is best you hear it from the All-Father himself."

Ada frowned at that. The mention of 'All-Father' left her heart racing a little faster than she expected. It was inevitable that she would cross paths with Odin if she was stuck on Asgard. But, she had been hoping to avoid a confrontation until she understood why she was on Asgard in the first place.

She knew that Odin wouldn't be happy knowing there was a trespasser on Asgard. After hearing Thor explain how difficult it had been getting to Earth in the first place, she had a feeling Odin was a little unhappy when it came to interfering with the people of Earth.

Volstagg suddenly slammed down his mug and grinned widely, "We should speak with Heimdal first!" he bellowed. "It would be most amusing to hear whether he has seen her arrival or not."

"Indeed… tales of a Midgardian appearing on Asgard are rare, and if Heimdal did have a vision of your arrival, he would have alerted Thor or the All-Father first," Fandral nodded in agreement.

Her frown only deepened into a scowl when Ada realized what they meant by that. She caught the look written across Lady Sif's face. Lady Sif was anything but happy with the idea, but she didn't bother arguing with the men. It seemed women didn't have much of a say in Asgard.

Once it became clear what they were up to next, Ada soon found herself being herded from one location to the other. Lady Sif had been careful with her, but Fandral and Volstagg were boisterous enough to make her wish she'd stayed behind. Hogan seemed to be the only one of the group other than Lady Sif to maintain his composure. He was the quietest among them, but it was his silence that demanded respect.

Since there weren't enough horses to spare, Ada was forced to ride with Lady Sif. Though, she wasn't arguing with a woman who could easily kick her ass if she wanted to. Fortunately, the trip itself didn't take too long.

The horses sprinted across what looked like a beautiful bridge made of dazzling lights. It took Ada a few seconds to adjust to the pace they were going at. Sitting at the end of what she assumed was the Rainbow Bridge happened to be a dome made of gold.

She couldn't help but gape at the sight. It truly was something that couldn't be described. Ada suddenly wished she had more time to take everything in – she soon felt more overwhelmed here than she had back in the marketplace.

"This is amazing," she whispered out loud once the horses had stopped a few feet from the dome.

The Warrior's Three and Lady Sif had climbed out of their saddles, with Ada soon following.

"Come, quickly!"

Before Ada could argue, Fandral suddenly guided her forward towards the dome-shaped building. She shook her head, trying to clear the unease that followed when they finally approached the building in question. She never thought she would be there in person. It wasn't until they walked inside that Ada soon found herself feeling even more overwhelmed than she ever imagined.

"Lady Stark, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

Her jaw nearly dropped when a tall, imposing looking man stood before them. He guarded what appeared to be a rotating device with a sword in hand. Though his eyes were cold and distant, Ada hadn't missed the fact that they seemed to observe everything.

She suddenly felt self-conscious at the thought.

"You knew I was here, didn't you?" she asked once she regained her composure.

"I know all, and I see all," replied the Gatekeeper. Ada stiffened when Lady Sif stood beside her, crossing her arms as Heimdal's dark eyes studied them. "I noticed your arrival when you stepped foot in the marketplace."

 _And you couldn't be bothered to send help my way_?

She rolled her eyes at the thought. Maybe there was some sort of unspoken rule that he couldn't send help to outsiders. Whatever the case, she was still irked that she had to find Fandral and brush off a pesky merchant on her own.

"You owe me a pint, my friend," Fandral slapped a hand cheerfully across Volstagg's shoulder, causing the larger man to huff in annoyance.

"I would sooner slay a Frost Giant than owe you a drink, Fandral," he retorted. "Where is Thor?"

"His Highness has left for Midgard," Heimdal replied.

"Midgard?" Lady Sif frowned when she looked in Ada's direction thoughtfully. "Why?"

"Jane Foster disappeared from my sight."

Heimdal's explanation only left Ada's mind spinning with disbelief. SHIELD had been keeping an eye on Jane, despite her indifference with the agency. She should have known that Thor would want to keep an eye on her as well. Considering how close they had been, it was a wonder Thor hadn't tried finding a more convenient way to visit Jane.

"Is she alright?" she asked after crossing her own arms warily.

"I could not see Jane Foster for five hours," Heimdal explained. "I am unsure if she is well."

Alarm swept through Ada at the mention of 'five hours'. Tony was definitely going to kill her if he found out she had been missing for that long. The worst part was, she couldn't even tell Darcy that she was safe, if not annoyed with this sudden revelation.

"How the hell could she have disappeared for five hours?" she demanded. Lady Sif threw her a warning look when Heimdal stiffened upon her question. "It isn't as if there was anywhere she could have gotten to."

Though, Ada already had an idea of where Jane had disappeared to. If her suspicions were right, Jane ended up in a similar fate to hers. Yet, that didn't explain why Jane returned to Earth while she was still stuck on Asgard.

Heimdal wasn't planning on answering anytime soon. His hands suddenly gripped the handle of the sword a little tighter as the device began spinning. Ada had to blink a few times when a blinding light filled the room just seconds later.

When the light finally dimmed, Ada noticed with a start that two familiar figures were standing in the back of the small room. She couldn't help but gape at Jane and Thor. The Warrior's Three and Lady Sif had immediately greeted them, while Ada stayed in the back of the room in an attempt to hide herself.

"Ada?" Jane's voice was full of disbelief when she noticed her.

Before Ada could explain why she was there in the first place, Heimdal pulled out the sword he'd been clinging on to, "Welcome to Asgard."


	56. Chapter Fift Six

**Chapter Fifty Six**

"How the heck did you end up on Asgard of all places?"

Jane's questions had left Ada's mind spinning as they headed for the palace. They crossed over the Rainbow Bridge to reach the palace in question, giving Jane more than enough time to think of whatever questions she could interrogate Ada with. Truthfully, even she wasn't sure how she ended up on Asgard. Lady Sif tried coming up with a valid explanation back in the pub. But, there was only so much she could tell her without giving away whatever secrets they were hiding.

Since arriving in Asgard with Jane in toe, Thor explained that something serious had happened to her. He made a valid point in reminding them that they needed to visit the Healers to find out what exactly was going on with Jane.

"You're asking the wrong person," Ada shook her head in frustration. She wished there was a better way of explaining how she ended up on Asgard. Both Lady Sif and Heimdal had been discrete in their explanations. "One minute I was wandering through the building, and the next, I wound up here on Asgard."

Thor gave her an inquisitive look when he heard that. He had been listening to them talk along the way to the palace. With the horses sprinting at full speed, it didn't take them long to reach it. Now, it was a matter of getting the room together. He'd already alerted the Healers of their sudden arrival to ensure that a room was ready.

Up close, the palace itself was huge and imposing. Ada tried to take everything in at once before they stepped inside. The grounds were well-kept, with several gardens, ponds and training grounds surrounding the main entrance. What really caught her breath were the golden columns that held it up, along with the golden roof. Not for the first time, Ada suddenly found herself feeling more out of place than ever.

"It is possible that the Convergence brought you here," he remarked thoughtfully.

"The Convergence?" Jane's question snapped Ada out of her thoughts. She glanced at the pair warily when she noticed that Heimdal had mentioned something about the planets aligning together. "Is that why the device kept going off?"

Well, at least it explained why she ended up on Asgard. Ada couldn't help but wonder how many other people ended up in a similar situation because of the Convergence. It was possible that she and Jane weren't the only victims.

"If something like this is really happening, then shouldn't there be some kind of warning?" she asked when they finally reached the room where the Healers were waiting. They'd already set up an exam table where Jane would be placed, with Thor and Ada lingering in the background. "What if someone accidentally stumbled upon these… 'portals' and found themselves in an entirely different place?"

"I am unsure of what would happen if such an occurrence took place," Thor replied after furrowing his brows together. "My father would likely know, but I am not in a hurry to face him. He will be angry enough knowing that there are two humans from Midgard here."

"One human," Ada corrected him under her breath.

She crossed her arms and scowled when she caught him looking at her apprehensively. So many people seemed to forget that she wasn't human. The constant need to remind them never seemed to end. Though, she couldn't necessarily blame them since she looked so human.

"What's that?" Jane asked curiously when a holographic image hovered above her.

The Healers placed her on the table and began examining whatever substance was attacking her body. Ada frowned as she noticed that the readings were entirely different from what she was used to seeing. Asgardian technology was far more advanced than the technology they had on Earth.

"Be still," the woman told her in a firm yet gentle tone.

Thor leaned forward when the woman frowned at the readings. His concern left Ada feeling worried over what had happened to Jane. She didn't explain where she went when she disappeared from Heimdal's view. Ada knew that it had to be something serious for Thor to bring her back to Asgard for further studies.

"This is not of Earth," he started after a few seconds of awkward silence followed. Jane was fascinated with the technology that surrounded her. Ada could tell that she was torn between asking what the heck they found and what the technology itself did. "What is it?"

"I do not know," the woman replied. Her expression was grave as she looked between the readings, Thor and Jane. "But she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her."

 _Well, that's a comforting thought_.

Concern for Jane's safety suddenly swept through Ada. Whatever had happened to her was dangerous. Even Thor stiffened in surprise and concern over the Healer's explanation. Jane had gotten herself infected with something that was slowly draining her energy. The fact that the Healer wasn't able to pick up on what was in Jane's body left Ada feeling even more concerned.

The Healer had already walked away. Ada could only assume that she went off to share whatever news she had with Odin, or someone else in charge of them. Thor was left with trying to figure out what to do with Jane. Dealing with the substance was their first priority. If they didn't get it treated soon, Ada had no doubt Jane would suffer the consequences.

"That's a quantum field generator, isn't it?" Jane suddenly asked after lifting her head curiously.

One of the other Healers had begun maneuvering the hologram around her in an attempt to get a better view of the scans. Despite her earlier worry, Ada couldn't help but smirk at Jane's curiosity. This place was built for someone like her. Though it was likely that her curiosity had gotten her into this mess in the first place, she'd probably get lost with all the new technology surrounding her.

"It is a soul forge," the Healer corrected her with a hint of impatience.

"Does a soul forge transfer molecular energy from one place to another?"

By now, Jane was struggling to hide the excitement written across her face. The Healer just threw her a look that was a cross between surprised and annoyed. Ada suspected that these people weren't expecting a human to know what they were talking about.

"Yes," she eventually replied after recovering from her initial surprise.

"It's a quantum field generator," Jane whispered to Thor.

Both Thor and Ada offered smiles at that.

Ada couldn't blame Jane for getting so overwhelmed with how closely related their technology was with Earth's. Though it was obviously more advanced, Ada knew that they weren't too far apart. She wondered what would happen if such worlds combined their science and technology together. Earth's doctors would more than likely benefit from it, since technology could only do so much for patients.

"Are my words mere noises to you that you would ignore them completely?"

Ada flinched at the sound of a deep, intimidating voice.

She looked over her shoulder to see that the new arrival was someone she never expected to meet in person. An ancient looking man with a scraggly beard, eye-patch and imposing appearance stood before them. He waved his hand over the hologram that hovered over Jane, causing it to disappear. The Healer who had been working with her immediately bowed and walked away without another word.

"She is ill," Thor explained.

She rose an eyebrow as she noticed how he dropped his normally relaxed posture. The man in question just scowled and looked between Ada and Jane. He clearly wasn't happy with their sudden arrival. Not that she couldn't necessarily blame him. She'd arrived unexpectedly in Asgard, while Thor brought Jane of his own accord.

"She is mortal. Illness is their defining trait."

The man brushed Thor's defensive explanation off with a wave.

"Excuse me? Since when is illness a defining trait?" Ada scoffed after crossing her arms once more.

She recognized the man as Odin from the stories that were passed down from generation to generation. But, that didn't make what he said any better. She could care less if he was the King of Asgard or not; he wasn't getting away with insulting the people of Midgard.

"I brought her here because we can help her," Thor interjected before Odin could spit something at Ada.

He threw her a warning look, as though begging her not to say anything else.

 _Oh, I'm tempted to_ , she thought angrily. It was hard to believe that this was the same man that Thor held in such high regard. She couldn't believe that Odin would be so careless that he'd turn down someone on the verge of dying. If what the healers had said about Jane was true, then she needed all the help they could offer her.

"She and the other Midgardian do not belong here anymore than a goat belongs at the banquet table," Odin retorted.

That was enough for Ada's blood to boil with outrage. She certainly wasn't going to let Odin get away with comparing them to a common farm animal, "Oh, and you think you're so much better? I can think of a dozen people from Earth who could—"

"Lady Stark, please."

She stopped herself short when she noticed the pleading look Thor was giving her. Odin's face had turned a whole new shade of red at her string of insults. She merely returned his glare with a mutinous glare of her own. She wasn't backing down. If he planned on insulting her people, then she would gladly return the favor.

If he planned on winning an award for good first impressions, Odin had failed miserably. Ada had been aware from the stories Thor would tell that his father wasn't the kindest person to Midgardians. But, he could have at least been a little more sympathetic towards Jane and what was happening to her.

"Who do you think you are?" Jane added after sitting up straighter.

She actually looked impressed with the way Ada handled Odin. Despite his imposing presence, Ada wasn't the least bit intimidated. She'd already dealt with men like Director Fury enough times to know how to handle people like Odin.

"I am Odin," the old man replied without missing a beat. He hadn't stopped glaring in Ada's direction, but at least he was distracted enough for the moment. That didn't stop him from slamming his scepter into the ground as if to prove his point. Ada nearly rolled his eyes at that. Now she knew where Loki got his need to slam his staff down. "King of Asgard. Protector of the Nine Realms."

"Oh, well, I'm—"

"I know very well who you are, Jane Foster," Odin cut her off. Then he returned his attention to Ada, "I am also aware of who you are, Ada Stark."

Ada only glared back, though she didn't bother spitting something in response. As tempting as it was to keep pissing him off, she also knew her limits. Odin was the king of this place, and he was more than capable of throwing her into prison if he wanted to.

"Did you tell your dad about us?" Jane asked with an incredulous look.

"Something is within her, father," Thor tried explaining in the vain attempt of convincing Odin that she needed help, "Something I have not seen before."

"Her world has its healers. They are called doctors. Let them deal with it." That only left Ada feeling angrier. How could he be so careless to let them go? Thor had explained to them that some Asgardians were closed off to the idea of Midgard and Asgard mixing together, but she didn't realize how right he had been. "Guards, take her and the other mortal back to Midgard."

"Hell no." None of the guards were able to reach Ada as she managed to fight them off, "I'd rather retain what little dignity I have."

Before Odin could say something that would only make things worse, the guards that tried reaching for Jane were suddenly flung back by an explosive energy. Ada struggled to remain standing when she felt the pulse herself. She knew that the Healers mentioned an energy substance surging within Jane's body. The last thing she expected was for the energy to pulsate like that.

"Jane, are you alright?" Thor asked once everyone recovered.

Ada held back a sigh of relief when Jane nodded in response. Her expression showed that the energy blast had taken its toll on her body. But at least it hadn't killed her. Yet. A familiar knot of worry formed in the pit of her stomach as she wondered how much time Jane had left before the energy killed her.

"That's impossible," Odin remarked once he managed to examine what had taken over her body.

"It's defending her," Ada whispered when she noticed that the energy began churning violently whenever someone appeared threatening to its host.

"No. It's defending itself," Thor corrected her in a grim voice.

"Come with me," Odin ordered.

Ada glanced at him warily. This time, his voice was equally grim as Thor's. His expression showed a hint of fear that hadn't been there before, which only added to Ada's earlier worry. Jane was in trouble if Odin was concerned.

…

"There are relics that predate the universe itself," Odin explained as he led the way through a massive library. Towering shelves filled with books surrounded them. Ancient wooden tables were placed throughout the library itself. Odin had taken them to one spot in particular, though. "What lies within her appears to be one of them. The Nine Realms are not eternal. They had a dawn as they will a dusk." He stopped at the foot of a golden pedestal. Ada watched in disbelief as he opened the book to reveal pages with moving pictures on them. She was reminded of the Harry Potter movies that had moving pictures in newspaper articles and other areas. She had to admit, the sight impressed even her. "But, before that dawn, the dark forces, the Dark Elves, reigned absolute and unchallenged."

"' _Born of eternal night, the Dark Elves comes to steal away your light_ '. They were these stories that my mother would often tell us as children," Thor explained after quoting what Ada assumed was something from the book.

She noticed that while the language was difficult to distinguish, the words in front of her seemed to translate before her in English. Ada had already suspected that Asgardian technology was more advanced than the technology on Earth, but she didn't realize it was _this_ advanced.

"Their leader, Malekith made a weapon out of that darkness, it was called the Aether. While the other relics often appeared as stones, the Aether is fluid and ever changing. It changes matter into dark matter and seeks out to host bodies, drawing strength from their life force," Odin continued, and a picture of an elf draped in red suddenly appeared. Something black and red appeared in his hands. Ada couldn't help but flinch at the sight. Something about that light was enough to send shivers of unease through her. "Malekith sought to use the Aether's power to return the universe to one of darkness. But after eternities of bloodshed, my father Bor, finally triumphed, ushering in the peace that lasted thousands of years."

Ada glanced at Jane when she noticed how pale she had turned. Despite the brave face she put on in the healing chamber, it was obvious that the story haunted her. She knew that somehow the Aether was connected with whatever was happening to her.

"What happened?" Jane asked hesitantly.

"He killed them all," Odin replied.

"Are you certain?" Thor asked with a knowing look, "The Aether was also said to have been destroyed with them, yet here it is."

 _He has a valid point_ , Ada thought.

She chewed the bottom of her lip. It only just dawned on her how serious this was. If Thor was right about his theory, they were all in trouble. The Dark Elves sounded like a dangerous enemy. Not to mention Jane still had the Aether to worry about.

"The Dark Elves are dead."

Ada narrowed her eyes when she noticed it sounded as though Odin was trying to reassure himself, as well as Thor. While he managed to mask his emotions, she could tell that Odin was equally as worried about the Aether as Thor had been. Its sudden arrival couldn't bode well for anyone.

"You know, there's a good way to tell when someone is lying or not," she muttered under her breath. "You were worried the moment the Aether showed up in Jane's body, which tells me that you're hiding something."

She suddenly thanked herself that she put some distance between herself and Odin. The glare he threw her was enough to remind her that this wasn't where she belonged. Odin probably wouldn't hesitate to throw her in prison if he saw a reason behind it.

"I have nothing to hide of the Aether or the Dark Elves," he reminded her in a stern voice before Thor could slap a hand over her mouth. He'd been desperate to keep her from speaking out, but it was too late. "I would hold your tongue and consider your position, Midgardian."

Ada was tempted to remind Odin that she wasn't technically Midgardian to begin with. She stopped herself short when she finally caught the look Thor was giving her. She'd already crossed the line enough times, and something told her that Odin wouldn't hesitate to throw her in prison if she pissed him off enough.

"So, there's no way of getting the Aether out of me," Jane deadpanned after crossing her arms indignantly.

She didn't look happy with the sudden tension between them. Not that Ada couldn't blame her. She had enough to worry about without their arguments making it worse.

"No, there isn't."

Odin left before anyone could ask him further questions. Ada glared in the direction he disappeared to.

"Thanks for nothing," she snapped after deciding that Odin was the least likeable person on Asgard.

She would have taken _Loki_ of all people over Odin any day.

"Ada…" This time, Jane's voice cut in before Ada could say something that would really get her in trouble, "You should probably lay off that 'Stark' attitude of yours."

Ada was ready to spit something in her defense when she finally thought better of it. She realized with a start that Jane was right. As much as she hated to admit it, it wasn't in her place to keep arguing with the King of Asgard. Especially with Thor present. For now, she was stuck with the idea that she would have to listen and restrain herself from getting thrown into prison. Whether she liked it or not.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks to Guest and Alex-chan2244 for reviewing! Remember, reviews help motivate me to keep writing.**


	57. Chapter Fifty Seven

**AN: I've tried explaining to a review that the timeline is just an assumption, but at this point, I'm done with reasoning. I've posted on the beginning of Iron Man 3 what the year is, since quite a few people seem to be offended based off of an _assumption_ made in previous chapters and haven't read beyond that point. Obviously, this story is going to have its mistakes. I'm slowly but surely working through said mistakes, but it takes time and patience. So please bear in mind that I'm aware of said mistakes, and I _will_ fix them eventually. Thank you UltimateFan-girl15, and Heh309 for reviewing!**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty Seven**

It seemed odd to think that she was on Asgard of all places. Years ago, Ada never would have dreamed that she would get the chance to see it in person. Asgard had only been a myth. Now, it was real, and surprisingly disappointing.

Her shoulders sagged as she wandered down the halls of the palace. She was thankful that Thor had given her some time to wander on her own. While Odin had been anything but happy with their arrival, there wasn't much he could do with the Aether infecting Jane.

Ada frowned the moment she thought of Jane and what fate beheld her. There was no telling what the Aether would do to her. The Healers had mentioned that the energy surging within Jane's body would eventually kill her. From what she gathered, the Aether sought out hosts, and would likely find another victim to claim if the Dark Elves didn't find it.

What really left her feeling worried was the planets aligning together. Odin's story was another reminder of how vulnerable Earth was to an attack. If the Dark Elves were alive, they would likely use it as a way of getting to Earth after claiming the Aether as their own. Ada knew for a fact that such an occurrence would end in disaster.

She chewed the bottom of her lip. Her mind was still spinning in light of all the new information brought up by Odin and Thor. She couldn't help but wonder how they were supposed to prepare themselves if Odin believed the Dark Elves were all dead. There was a difference between being prepared and not being prepared. Natasha was always the one who told her that being cautious was a good thing, especially while one was on a mission.

"It's better to have your guard up and expect an attack than allow someone to take advantage of you," she'd said during one of their sparring sessions.

 _Words of wisdom from a master assassin_ , she thought with a slight smile. She wondered what the others would have done in this situation. Most likely, they would have already found a way back to Earth. _But I'm not like the others. I need to find my own way back_.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal clanging against metal. Ada blinked in surprise when she reached what appeared to be the armory. She often wondered what her own people would have worn if they went to battle. There was so little known about the Aliquid, that everything was still a mystery to her. She realized with a start that the people of Asgard might know more about her people, especially since they now knew there was life beyond Earth.

' _The armor would not fit you_.' Ada froze at the sound of Nadia's voice. She wasn't expecting to hear her mother's voice after she'd ignored it earlier. Ada knew that she could have avoided this mess if she had listened to her mother in the first place. ' _I am not angry with you, Ada_ ,' her mother reassured her.

 _How the heck am I supposed to find out more about you or my people if you won't tell me anything_? she wondered while studying the armor absentmindedly.

The chain mail reminded her of something that would have been worn in ancient times. A shiver swept through her as she recalled her nightmares revolving around the Black Knights. The armor they wore was nothing like this. Their armor had been heavier, built for people who were capable of fighting back with more than just swords.

' _There was a time when the knowledge you seek would have been passed down by our people_ ,' Nadia explained when a heavy silence followed. Ada couldn't help but flinch when she wondered how she was supposed to obtain that information. It wasn't as if any of her ancestors still lived on, as far as she was concerned. ' _The information you seek is something you must find on your own_.'

"You know, that would be a hell of a lot easier if I knew what the heck I was looking for," she sighed in frustration.

Her statement was met with silence, and Ada crossed her arms in annoyance.

More often than not, Nadia frustrated her to the point where she wondered why she bothered asking. The Aliquid were apparently a secretive people, having given any information to outsiders. Ada was more frustrated with this lack of knowledge than she wanted to admit out loud.

"If you wish to seek battle armor built for women, you are in the wrong place." Ada whirled around at the sound of Lady Sif's voice, eyes widening upon seeing the shield maiden looking at her in amusement. "I was informed by one of the maids that you disappeared in the armory."

Ada's cheeks turned a faint shade of red when she realized that she had been caught. She had been wandering for a good half hour in the hopes of finding the library on her own. She refused to admit that she needed directions, especially with Odin roaming the same halls. After the way he acted around Jane, she was in no hurry to face him again.

About the only positive side of Asgard was that Thor's friends happened to be a lot more welcoming than Odin had been. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering how Odin and Thor were related. The two of them were nothing alike, other than through appearance.

"Sorry… I was actually looking for the library," she admitted sheepishly.

"Why did you not choose to remain in the library if that is what you seek?" Lady Sif asked curiously.

 _Curiosity killed the cat_ , a small voice told her.

Curiosity was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Yet, she tried making the most out of an awful situation. Asgard wasn't the most ideal place she would have liked to find herself getting lost in, but at least it was better than nothing.

Not to mention, she wasn't given the time to memorize where they had been going when Odin whisked them away to the library. Judging from the urgency in his tone, he'd wanted to make Thor and Jane aware of the Aether, and the Dark Elves.

"I wanted to see the rest of the palace," she replied with a shrug.

Lady Sif shook her head in amusement after sensing that wasn't the only reason Ada had left. She had to admit, she did enjoy Lady Sif's company more than the others. Not only was she a good friend of Thor's, but she was also one of the few female warriors of Asgard still spoken of in Earth's history.

"You Midgardians have such a strange behaviors," she remarked after gesturing for Ada to follow her. Her shoulders sagged in relief when Ada realized she was willing to guide her to the library. "Are you always wandering like this on Midgard?"

"Not all of us are flighty," Ada retorted defensively. Though, she could understand what Lady Sif meant by her question. There were some people on Earth that simply couldn't settle down in one place. "I've just never been here before, and I'd love to take in everything I can until we can go home."

 _I wonder how long it has been since we left Earth_? she suddenly wondered.

A sudden pang in her stomach left her wondering if she would even see Tony and Pepper again. Or even the rest of the team for that matter. Ada hadn't noticed until than just how homesick she felt. She could already imagine that long list of reasons why going off on her own wasn't a good thing.

She'd promised Tony that she would stay out of trouble while she was on vacation. Unfortunately, life never seemed to work out the way she would have liked. The only positive outcome of this was that Jane got to see Thor again, even if there was an energy source trying to kill her.

The only hope Ada had was that the sooner they found a way back to Earth, the better off she suspected everyone would be.

…

 _Nothing. Absolutely nothing_!

Further frustration swelled within Ada when she found nothing in the library regarding her people. She'd searched every shelf and even asked one of the keepers if they'd heard of the Aliquid. To her surprise, and disbelief, no one seemed to know what she was talking about. It was almost as if the Aliquid had never existed.

She'd learned from experience that her mother was secretive about the Aliquid and their ways. Yet, she had been hoping that if anyone had wisdom on her people, Asgard would. It was ancient enough that she had hoped there would be some information on the Aliquid.

Ada let out a sigh as she finally placed the last book she tried reading back where she found it. Most of the books were ancient enough that she was afraid they would crumble upon opening. As it was, quite a few had torn pages or were simply too faded for her to read. The only consolation she had was that Asgard seemed to have a translating system for foreign visitors.

Whether that was for her own convenience or the convenience of those living in the palace, she would never know. Ada was just grateful that she could make out a few words. She'd seen Odin use the translator for Jane and herself, but never quite figured out how he used it.

' _Reading will only get you so far, Ada_ ,' Nadia warned her in a tone that was full of amusement.

"So will keeping everything from me," she snapped angrily. "I'm tired of either being ignored, or you telling me that I'm not ready to hear what it is you have to say."

Once again, Nadia fell silent. Ada was ready to curse under her breath when she noticed the faint glow in her necklace. She'd quickly learned that Nadia had passed down whatever energy she had left to the necklace. From what Ada was able to gather, that meant it took energy for her to speak with her.

For the first time since deciding that she wanted knowledge on her people, guilt stabbed at her chest.

All she had been doing was berating the woman who was supposed to be her mother for ignoring her. She couldn't imagine how much it must have cost for Nadia to speak with her in the first place.

"I'm sorry," she whispered after looking down at the floor warily.

' _There is no need to apologize_.' Ada blinked in surprise at the sound of her mother's voice. ' _I understand that you are frustrated. But, this knowledge is something that is passed down when our people reach a certain age. As I warned you before, you are not ready_.'

Ada let out a huff of annoyance when she realized that was all her mother would say. She knew there wasn't any point to keep arguing. After reaching the same conclusion that pushing her mother was a waste of time on both parts, Ada decided to keep wandering.

She tried to avoid getting on Odin's bad side after their last confrontation. The King of Asgard hadn't entirely been thrilled with the way she kept firing back at him. But it wasn't as if she could help herself. Odin acted as if the Dark Elves weren't a big deal, nor was the Aether infecting Jane's body. In the back of her mind, something told Ada that he _was_ worried about both, but he didn't have the heart to tell anyone.

It wasn't until she noticed the walls changing from their bright colors to dark and dingy that Ada realized she'd wandered too far. She was about to turn and head back she felt something crash into the palace. The sudden impact was enough to cause the walls around her to tremble, and for her to cling on for dear life when the whole palace shook.

Before she was able to make sense of what had happened, a large looking creature emerged from one of the halls. Ada narrowed her eyes the moment the creature spotted her and let out a fearsome roar, as if that was meant to send her running in the opposite direction. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she dodged a large arm that swung in her direction, then she threw a fireball in the creature's direction. That only seemed to aggravate the creature. Instead of fleeing like she'd hoped, the creature began fighting back harder.

 _So much for having a vacation_.

She should have known that would never happen. After working for SHIELD for so long, Ada began to suspect that a vacation was out of the question.

"Lady Stark!" Relief swept through Ada at the sound of Fandral's voice. She hadn't been expecting to see anyone else around, but she began to reach the conclusion that this was Asgard's prison. Especially if a creature this large and spiteful was lurking about. "Thor was asking for you when the ship attacked the palace."

The creature was about to strike when Fandral suddenly drew his sword. It barely moved an inch before falling to the ground in a bloody heap.

"Well, as you can see, I'm otherwise occupied with a random prison break," she explained once she recovered from her initial shock.

Fandral quirked an eyebrow, as if he wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Then he barked with laughter and slapped a hand heartily over her shoulder, "It appears as though you have not lost your humor during battle."

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed, though it didn't last when she understood the situation they were in. She should have known the crash from earlier was an attack. If she had to anything to bet on, she would have sworn it was the Dark Elves looking for the Aether.

"You'll need backup to round up those prisoners," she told him as they headed deeper through the halls.

More and more prisoners were moving about, but they were easily taken care of thanks to Volstagg's help. Fandral seemed even more amused with her offer, but he didn't dare suggest she wasn't capable of helping. After the way she had acted around Odin, he seemed to know better.

The fighting only seemed to last for a few minutes before the prisoners dwindled down in numbers. Ada frowned in confusion when she noticed that Volstagg had disappeared down one of the hallways, leaving her with Fandral.

"Loki is being kept in one of these prisons," the warrior explained when he noticed her confusion. "It would be unwise to leave his cell unchecked. He is craftier than he looks."

 _I won't argue with that logic_ , Ada thought after recalling how many stories Thor had about Loki. He'd shared a few back when they were in New Mexico, and after the battle of New York. She had no doubt that Loki was capable of escaping his prison.

She was saved from asking further questions when Thor finally arrived just moments after Volstagg disappeared. The god of thunder seemed equally surprised to see her, though at that point, he didn't bother questioning her presence.

Most of the creatures were still fighting back, or fighting each other. She hadn't even noticed until glancing over her shoulder that quite a few had knocked each other out. Despite that, she and Fandral worked together to break a few of the prisoners apart while Thor took care of the rest.

"It is as if they resent being imprisoned!" Fandral exclaimed when one of the larger creatures swung a club in his direction.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Ada rolled her eyes in disbelief.

While the creatures here consisted mostly of what looked like trolls, ogres and other vile looking things, some of them were also human. She'd noticed before Thor's arrival a woman who seemed to take advantage of a few guards who tried fighting back. At the time, she had otherwise been occupied by a couple of trolls that were putting up a harder fight than expected.

"Mother!"

Before Ada could make sense of what Thor meant by that, he suddenly slammed his hammer into the face of one prisoner and flew off through one of the hallways. The only thing she could hope for was that nothing had happened to Jane or to Frigga. Otherwise, they were all in trouble.

* * *

 **AN: I know that this is slightly different from the movie, but given an added character in the plot (and honestly, it's been ages since I've seen Dark World), I hope that justifies the changes ^^**


	58. Chapter Fifty Eight

**Chapter Fifty Eight**

The world suddenly felt as if it came to a standstill over the last few minutes.

Ada wasn't aware at the time that Frigga had been with Jane during Malekith's attack. Frigga managed to fend them off, but not without sacrificing herself. Her death had left everyone numb with shock on Asgard.

People mourned in the streets and in the palace. Odin had all but disappeared after she was killed. Viking ships were waiting in the river outside the palace as large crowds gathered for the funeral. Ada found herself standing alone, too numb with her own shock to speak as she watched.

There was a time when she thought these people were invincible. After all, they were deemed as gods on Earth. Yet, Frigga's death left her mind reeling with the cold realization that those theories simply weren't true. The people of Asgard were as vulnerable as the people of Earth, if not more because of the weapons that the people of Earth could wield.

The only consolation that Ada had was that she hadn't been placed in some prison during the funeral. She hated being holed up in one place, especially when there was something she could have been doing. Though, attending a funeral was something that Ada didn't have in mind. The last funeral she attended was for Coulson's, and that hadn't even been a real funeral.

 _Director Fury just made it up to get the team together_ , she reminded herself.

She couldn't help but watch on silently as the archers standing ready fired their arrows after they were lit. One by one the flaming arrows were fired at the ships launched down the river. It was a spectacle she never thought she would see. The ships went ablaze within seconds, casting an eerie shadow over the palace as they sailed down the river and beyond.

With a heavy sigh, she finally tore her gaze from the scene and wandered down the stairs.

She wasn't sure what would happen now that Frigga was dead. Malekith's attack left everyone shaken to the point where they wouldn't be in any hurry to offer help. Not that she couldn't blame them. She hadn't seen Thor or the others since the funeral was set up. She suspected they had enough to discuss without worrying about some silly visitor who only added to the tension. Her presence on Asgard left everyone feeling uneasy. Though they never said it out loud, she could feel the accusing looks they gave her when she walked past. They blamed her for Malekith's attack, and for Frigga's death, along with Jane's sudden arrival.

That thought sent a shiver of unease through Ada. She was thankful that they didn't throw her into prison for what had happened, but she knew if she kept mouthing them off, they wouldn't hesitate to. Jane was right about one thing; she _did_ need to think before she spoke.

"Thor wishes for you to join us at the tavern."

Ada rose an eyebrow at the sound of Lady Sif's voice. The shield maiden looked equally unhappy with the idea of leaving the funeral so quickly. But, judging from the look on her face, Thor's request was urgent.

With a nod of resignation, Ada followed Lady Sif to the tavern in question.

She wasn't surprised to find it was the same place where the Warrior's Three met before the battle. Instead of the normally cheery atmosphere she began to appreciate, everyone sat around in solemn silence with drinks in hand. Ada frowned at the sight, especially when she caught sight of Thor sitting with Heimdal.

"I am grateful you were able to make it, Lady Stark," Thor greeted her with a look that spoke a thousand words. He was trying to hide his own grief, but she could see that Frigga's death and the battle had taken a toll on him. She heard from Lady Sif that he and Frigga had been close. Though they only knew each other for a short time, she could tell that Frigga had been a good person, someone willing to see the goodness in everyone, and help those who needed it. "My father has imprisoned Jane Foster, and I feared he would do the same with you."

"Because this day hasn't sucked enough without your wonderful king trying to interfere," she grumbled under her breath.

"Odin is not above imprisoning people from Earth," Heimdal warned her. His expression was impossible to read. Ada glanced at him self-consciously when she felt his gaze bore through her. "It would be wise to hold your tongue, especially under such circumstances."

Ada finally let out a sigh of frustration, "What's the point of having an army if he isn't willing to put up a fight? Locking Jane up is only going to give the Dark Elves an incentive to attack."

"I agree," Thor replied before she could complain some more. "Malekith will return, and I will need your help along with the others."

"I cannot overrule my king's orders, not even to you," Heimdal reminded Thor with a pointed look.

Though, it looked as if he really did want to do just that. Ada could tell that he wanted to provide whatever help he could, despite whatever crap Odin pulled. Odin wasn't above placing the people he ruled in prison if they committed treason. She chewed the bottom of her lip as she wondered at the thought that a select few were willing to do just that. Even Heimdal seemed to understand that Odin was wrong to keep Jane locked up. Malekith might have appeared because of the Aether, but Jane didn't understand the consequences of that. Not to mention Odin had been keeping the truth about the Aether and the Dark Elves a secret for so long.

"I'm not asking you to. The Realms need their All-Father strong and unchallenged, whether he is or not. But he is blinded Heimdal, by hatred and by grief," Thor pointed out.

Her brows furrowed together when she thought of how grief could change a person. She'd seen firsthand what it did to Tony during the battle of New York. When he thought that she had been killed by Loki, he'd changed after seeing that she was alive.

"As are we all."

Heimdal may not have looked at Thor, but Ada sensed his jab was directed to the god of thunder.

"Well, I see clearly enough."

"Besides, something needs to be done before Malekith decides to launch another attack," she finally spoke up. Heimdal looked at her thoughtfully as she furrowed her brows together. She knew they had to work together in order to find a way to stop Malekith, and rescue Jane. "If we don't, he could destroy this world just like he did his own. And something tells me he won't hesitate to attack any other after he's done with Asgard."

"Your own people experienced a similar fate, though through a different mean of destruction," Heimdal suddenly pointed out. That was enough for Ada to stiffen in surprise. Even Thor looked slightly confused with where Heimdal was getting at with his sudden revelation. Her mother never mentioned what was responsible for the destruction of their planet. She had only assumed that it would remain a mystery until Nadia told her. "The risks are too great."

"Everything that we do from here on is a risk," Thor informed him, "There is no other way."

Silence followed when Heimdal seemed to give Thor's response some thought. Ada was more than willing to take those risks if it meant putting an end to Malekith's reign, once and for all. His attack on Asgard was just the beginning, of that she was certain.

"What do you require of me?" he finally asked.

"What I'm about to ask of you is treason of the highest order," Thor warned him, "Success will bring us exile and failure shall mean our death. Malekith knew the Aether was here, he can sense its power. If we do nothing he will come for it again, but this time lay waste to all of Asgard."

"But other than that, everything is going to be just peachy," Ada muttered under her breath.

"What you ask from all of us is foolish," Hogan put in. Unlike the others who were ready to jump in, even Lady Sif, he seemed to contemplate what risks they were taking by going behind Odin's back. "Have you considered what will happen if you fail this plan?"

"I hope it does not come to that," Thor admitted. "I understand why you are reluctant to join me, and I understand if you wish to leave now. Moving Jane off world is what will spare us from another attack by Malekith."

"The Bifrost is closed," Heimdal pointed out. "You would need someone with knowledge of how to escape worlds at your side."

Ada rose an eyebrow when she immediately thought of someone who would provide that kind of help. While it wasn't the best idea – they were already on thin ice as it was – it happened to be the only idea she had in mind.

"What if we asked Loki for help?" she suggested helpfully. Everyone looked at her as if she'd gone insane. Not that Ada couldn't blame them. Loki's last attempts at destroying Earth hadn't ended well on his part, and she doubted he was the most popular being at the moment. "Look, I get that he's done some shitty things in the past, but he also has a reason to hate Malekith and want his own revenge. I'm guessing he also knows multiple ways out of Asgard."

For once, few of them argued with her. They had already begun discussing ways of breaking Jane out of her room. Ada suspected that if Loki was anything like he had acted while on Earth, he'd be more than willing to offer what little help he could. At least, in the name of Frigga.

"It will take time for me to convince my brother to join us, if he is willing at all," Thor admitted once they finished discussing their plan. He looked at Ada apprehensively when she gave him an encouraging nod. "I know it will not be easy, especially after what he has done."

"If he knows what is good for him, he will help you," Lady Sif gave a slight nod of her own, still uneasy with the idea of letting Loki free. "But, I understand that it is necessary for our survival."

Ada let out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she was holding. She had to hope that Lady Sif was right. Loki was a trickster. She had a feeling that he would use any opportunity he could to escape once they broke him out of the prison.

…

"Remind me again why this is a good idea?"

"Because you were the one who made the suggestion. Loki is more likely to answer to you than he would to me."

"Right… because that's worked so well before."

Ada nearly rolled her eyes when Thor tried pointing out that Loki would listen to her. She had experienced firsthand what Loki was capable of, and had given him a taste of his own medicine. What annoyed her more than anything was that Thor had dragged her along to break the god of mischief out.

"I hate to remind you, but I'm already on thin ice as it is with Odin," she pointed out under her breath. "How much do you wanna bet he'd throw me in prison if he caught me breaking Loki out of it?"

"My father will not put you in prison, Lady Stark," Thor reassured her with a charming smile. "I am certain you would find a way to break out if he did."

 _Well, he isn't wrong about that_ , she thought with a sigh of frustration.

Everyone else set up their positions once she and Thor left the pub. They'd discussed the plan for what felt like hours. In that time, Ada began to understand just how loyal Thor's friends were to him. They were willing to risk everything for him. She often wondered if the same could be said for herself if she ever found herself in the same position.

They crept along the narrow halls carefully. She wasn't surprised to find that stealth wasn't Thor's area of expertise. He'd nearly gotten them caught twice while trying to avoid the guards that wandered the same halls.

She couldn't blame Thor for fumbling along. He had a harder time trying to keep up with her because of his cape and larger size. She would use either the columns or her powers to keep the guards from spotting them. Thor looked at her with a newfound respect after noticing just how much her powers had developed over the last few months.

"You have to be quiet when you're going into stealth mode," she whispered after they'd nearly been caught a third time.

The rocky wall that had covered them crumbled to the floor as she kept moving, letting Thor take the lead every now and then.

"My apologies… it has been many years since I've done this, and the last time was with Loki," he admitted sheepishly. "When we were younger, we would always find a way to sneak out of the palace grounds."

"And I'm guessing Loki was the one who came up with your schemes?" she asked curiously.

Thor rarely talked about his past. She knew he was reminiscing because of Frigga's death, and hated using that to her advantage. Thor was at least willing to try and talk about it. To her surprise, he gave a nod and offered a small, sad smile.

"Loki was not always a monster as people see him," he explained in a halfhearted defense against his brother.

For the first time since the battle of Manhattan, Ada began to notice how much Thor really cared about Loki. She couldn't help but admire that of Thor. Despite the fact that he was a seasoned warrior, he still had the kindness that few people could boast about.

"I wish I could have known him as a kid," she murmured thoughtfully.

"He would have admired you for your courage and your abilities."

Heat rose to Ada's cheeks the moment he brought that up. She highly doubted Loki would hold her in such regards. Even if they were just kids, he didn't seem like the type of person who would hold anyone in high regards.

While she felt no pity towards Loki for everything that had happened to him – most of his punishments were well-deserved and self-earned – she did feel a little sorry for how he was brought up. From the stories she gathered, Loki had been raised to believe he was Asgardian. Odin had planned on using him to form a peace treaty with the Frost Giants.

The worst part was, Frigga's death had to have taken a heavy toll on him. Thor had explained to her that Frigga spent a lot of time with Loki, teaching him what she knew about magic. The rest of what Loki knew was self-taught through books.

Shaking her head at the thought, Ada glanced at Thor self-consciously when she noticed that there were guards posted at Loki's cell, "Okay, I'm going to knock the guards out, unless you have any other plans in mind?"

Thor simply gestured with his hands for her to move on, and she did just that. Carefully, she used her powers to knock out the guards without causing further damage. Killing anyone was out of the question – even if that was a last resort, she preferred not having to kill anyone.

"I can see that Lady Romanoff's training has passed down to you," he quipped after noticing how quickly she was able to knock them out.

"We're not finished yet," she reminded him. Though, that didn't stop the small smile that followed. She was thankful that Natasha had trained her until she was ready to drop over from exhaustion. Once she blasted the door open and knocked out two other guards, she gestured for Thor to follow, "After you."

"I believe it would be better if you went in first," Thor shook his head worriedly, "I am unsure of how my brother will react upon seeing me first."

Ada held back a sigh of frustration as she noticed where this was headed. Thor certainly wasn't a coward. But that didn't mean he wasn't afraid to face his brother. She had a feeling he'd been planning this from the start.

"You owe me for this," she hissed under her breath.

Thor didn't respond at first, but his smirk of amusement told her that was what he expected from her. Rolling her eyes at his expense, Ada walked forward carefully until she stepped inside Loki's prison.

Her heart began racing for a whole different reason as she noticed how finely decorated his cell was. It looked neat and orderly compared to what a prison cell would look like. To one side was a desk with a lamp and comfortable looking chair to read from. To the other was a bookcase lined with dozens of books. For someone who was supposed to be imprisoned, Loki didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave.

"I was not expecting a visitor," he started without looking up from the book he was reading. Ada rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms to make herself look a little more intimidating. She didn't want to admit that this was the last place she wanted to be in. After the way Loki had stabbed her and nearly killed everyone she cared about, she was hardly in any mood to see him again. "I can sense you are not happy with me."

There was a hint of amusement in his voice as he finally acknowledged her presence with a sideways glance.

"And I can see you're as much of an asshole now as you were when we met," she retorted without missing a beat. Loki's mouth morphed from a smirk to a scowl when he noticed that she hadn't dropped her guard. "I'm not here to make friends."

"You've made that perfectly obvious by leaving your guard-dog outside," the god of mischief scoffed. "I do have to wonder what brought my dear brother to believe I would offer help?"

"Because, for whatever reason, Thor believes there's still an ounce of kindness in your soul," she muttered crossly. The smirk returned almost immediately. "He trusts that you'll do the right thing."

"And you do not?" he pressed.

"Well, you're still alive, aren't you?"

It was Loki's turn to raise an eyebrow in utter bewilderment. Her eyes narrowed when his eyes locked with hers.

"Loki, no more illusions," Thor suddenly snapped when he finally decided to intervene.

His voice cut through the icy tension that surrounded them. Ada blinked in surprise after she realized the walls had begun trembling around them. With a sigh of frustration, she took a few deep breaths to try and calm her already frayed nerves. The last thing she wanted was to lose control in a place like this.

A few seconds passed when the room began changing around them. Her eyes widened in disbelief as the room changed from neat and orderly to one of complete disarray. Loki was a mess as he slouched against the wall. His hair was tangled and wild, and his feet looked as if they'd suffered a few cuts and bruises.

"Now you see me, brother," he sneered once the illusion dropped. Thor approached him cautiously while Ada studied him carefully. His injuries could have just been an illusion, but she had no doubt that he'd suffered in the prison. "Did she suffer?"

"I did not come here to share in our grief," Thor brushed off his jab at their mother's death. "Instead, I offer you the chance for a far richer sacrament."

"Go on."

"I know you seek vengeance as much as I do. You help me escape Asgard, and I will grant it to you, your vengeance. And after words, this cell," Thor explained.

He had been hoping to use a tactic that would appease to Loki's thirst for power. Ada quirked a brow curiously, aware that this plan of his might not work. Loki might see right through his ruse and simply refuse to accept whatever offers they had, even if it meant his temporary freedom.

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help," Loki sneered. He leaned forward, face full of contentment as he looked between Thor and Ada. "What makes you think you can trust me?"

"I don't," Ada snapped, crossing her arms once more while giving him a cold look.

"I don't. Mother did. You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with the glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere," Thor replied. He threw Ada a warning look. He knew she wasn't afraid to speak the truth, especially around someone like Loki. "That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me and I will kill you."

Loki seemed to contemplate over what Thor had offered him. His brows furrowed together thoughtfully when he looked at Ada this time, "And what of you? I'm sure you will have some form of punishment to offer."

"I think I'll let my powers speak for themselves," she retorted. "Unless you'd like another demonstration of what I can do."

Amusement swept across Loki's eyes, "I have no doubt you are capable of doing just that." There was a pause as Loki gave it some more thought before finally looking at Thor, "When do I start?"

* * *

 **AN: Here's another Saturday update :) I'm really satisfied with the way these chapters have been going, even if they're not entirely like the movie. When I first wrote this, I hardly gave Ada a voice in the story. Now I'm getting better at it, and hopefully I'm getting better at doing the characters from the movies justice as well.**

 **I'm also wondering if I should label the chapters for each movie that takes place, at least in the beginning to ease confusion. I know it can be confusing with how many chapters there are, and how many more are to come. At any rate, I just thought I'd throw that in. Thanks to ZabuzasGirl and sakuraddiction for reviewing! I always appreciate seeing reviews, especially since they help motivate me to keep writing :)**


	59. Chapter Fifty Nine

**Chapter Fifty Nine**

Loki was being led down one of the many hallways extending through the palace. Ada walked along his other side, keeping a trained eye on him. His antics were something that she struggled to ignore. After breaking him out of the prison cell, they had to maneuver around the prison guards carefully to avoid getting caught. Ada knew it was only a matter of time before his 'escape' was discovered, and more guards would be sent to recapture him. Though, she had a feeling Loki wouldn't make that easy for them.

He already seemed to get a kick out of being in a situation that Thor was less than happy with. The Asgardian did his best to avoid whatever jibes Loki made at him, but even he was beginning to grow irritated after a few minutes of walking. There really was only so much they could take. Loki's mouth hadn't stopped running off since they left the prison, and Ada was beginning to think that maybe knocking him out would have been the better alternative.

"This is so unlike you, brother," the Trickster went on with yet another rant. His cheeky grin irritated Thor to the point where he tried to maintain his composure, "So clandestine. Are you sure you wouldn't rather just punch your way out?" He paused, and then looked at Ada with a grin that made her wish she could punch it off his face, "Are you certain you don't want to pull off a few tricks? I'm quite sure of myself that you are capable of doing so."

"I think I preferred watching the Hulk beat the crap out of you," she muttered under her breath.

For a moment, Loki's face fell at the unpleasant memory of the Hulk throwing him around like a rag doll. There were times when she wished she could have recorded the whole thing. Unfortunately, Jarvis had been offline at the time, and there had been too much chaos throughout the city. Not to mention she had her father to worry about at the time. Seeing the face Loki made only told her that he too hadn't forgotten that moment. She hoped it would serve as a reminder that he wasn't necessarily welcome on Earth.

"I would not aggravate her any further than you have, brother," Thor warned him with the slightest smirks. While he was opposed to using violence against Loki unless it was necessary, he did enjoy seeing Ada put the Trickster in his place, "She will not hold back on you."

 _And I don't plan to_ , she added silently. After all, she still had a score to settle with Loki. He'd stabbed her in the stomach and nearly killed Coulson, along with numerous other attacks he was never held accountable for.

"Fine. As you wish. I'm not even here," he rolled his eyes and changed his form into one of the guards. Ada rose an eyebrow at the sudden outfit change. Not for the first time, she wondered why he hadn't used this illusion before to escape, "Is this better?"

"It's better company," Ada snorted in amusement when Loki shifted his gaze towards her.

"Indeed," Thor nodded in agreement as he kept his stride.

"Still, we could look less conspicuous," Loki decided after that wasn't enough to annoy them. Seconds later, he changed back and changed Thor's appearance to that of Lady Sif. "Brother, you look ravaging."

"Is it just me, or have you turned into an even more annoying asshole than when we last saw each other?" Ada asked with a roll of her eyes.

She could have sworn Loki was more sarcastic now than he had been when they first met. The worst part was seeing the cocky grin written across his face. She hadn't missed the fact that he was getting a kick out of this. He knew he was getting under their skin. This was probably a ploy to see whether or not Thor's patience would hold out during their trip to the ship. Ada kept her fists clenched to keep herself from punching that smirk off of his face, even if it was tempting to do so.

"It will hurt no less when I kill you in this form," Thor reminded him after looking at his new form while continuing his stride.

He hadn't even slowed down, though he was getting more annoyed with each passing second. Ada had to admit, she was impressed with the way Thor handled the situation. Despite the obvious tension, he didn't let Loki get to his head. The Trickster frowned when he too noticed that Thor wasn't fazed with the idea of being changed into a woman, as if it had happened before. She had no doubt that Loki had done something like that to Thor in the past. Considering the stories he would tell, she wasn't too surprised with Thor's lack of a reaction.

"Very well," he digressed with a look of disappointment. His eyes lit up in a way that sent shivers through Ada when he glanced in her direction, "Perhaps you would prefer one of your new companions, given that you seem to like them so much… especially your friend here." Before she could make sense of what he meant by that, Loki's form changed once again. Her eyes narrowed when he changed into Captain America in a flash of green. "Oh, this is much better!" He even mimicked Steve's voice perfectly. "Whoa, the costume's a bit much, it's so tight. The confidence, I can feel the righteousness surging. Hey, you wanna have a rousing discussion about truth, honor, patriotism? God bless America—"

Ada reached for Loki and suddenly slammed him against the back of the pillar. The annoyance from earlier morphed into fury as she glared daggers at him. Loki's face morphed back to his own, and his amusement was replaced with immediate terror as a fireball formed in the palm of her hand. He'd gone too far this time. As much as she loathed to admit it, changing into Steve now was probably the worst timing Loki could have chosen.

"Shut up now, Loki, before I do decide to take your life!" she finally snapped.

"What, have you truly fallen in love with the soldier?" Loki's sneer only added to the fuel. "I am quite certain that he would never love a monster such as yourself—"

Her grip tightened around his throat, and Loki all-but-stopped himself after realizing that she wasn't holding back. Fear flickered across his eyes. She didn't let go until she felt Thor nudge her slightly, giving her a reassuring nod. Loki finally saw why she had stopped him. Two guards had walked past them, and were now beyond earshot.

"You can at least furnish me with a weapon," he went on once she released her grip. He almost looked relieved that she finally let him go, "A dagger, something!" Thor stepped a little closer and slid a pair of cuffs around his wrists. As an added insurance, Ada was the one who suggested that they bring cuffs with them just in case. She was relieved to see that they hadn't gone unused. "At last, a little common sense."

"If only you actually used that," Ada scoffed under her breath.

Loki looked down at his wrists to see what she had been smirking at. His face fell upon seeing the cuffs wrapped around them. Heimdal had informed them that they were bound by a magical energy that even he couldn't escape from without the key. It was a clever idea, and one that she wished would have been used sooner.

"I thought you liked your tricks," Thor chuckled in amusement upon seeing the look on his face. "Are you alright?"

He looked at Ada worriedly after noticing that she hadn't dropped her guard.

Loki's jibe had stung deeper than she wanted to admit. She left the states because Darcy invited her for a vacation, but truthfully, she left because she felt so lost. She wasn't sure if Steve would ever see her as anything more than just a friend, if they were even that.

Swallowing hard, Ada glanced at Thor and tried giving him an encouraging nod, "I'll be fine once we find a way out of here."

Thor returned the gesture with one of his own. They needed to get out of Asgard with Jane. If anyone could find a way out, it was Loki. Ada just hoped the Trickster knew that they wouldn't hesitate after that little display to take him down if he tried betraying them. His fear told her that he'd quickly learned she wasn't one to mess around with.

They finally reached a wide hall to take a small rest, grabbing Loki along the way so that they could wait for Lady Sif and Jane. According to the plan, she had already gone off to find Jane and bring her to their meeting place. Ada knew that it would take time for them to slip past the guards. Odin would also be furious once he discovered their plot, but by the time he did, they would hopefully have a way off Asgard.

Ada looked over her shoulder when she heard the sound of footsteps echoing across the hall. Fortunately, Loki had the sense to keep quiet until they knew for sure who was approaching. Sure enough, Lady Sif had reached them with Jane at her side.

Jane's eyes widened in disbelief upon seeing Loki standing between Ada and Thor, "You're…"

"I am Loki," he introduced himself with a smug look. Jane stormed towards him, and Ada winced as she guessed what she was planning, "You may have heard of me."

She watched in amusement as Jane suddenly slapped Loki across the face, hard. The woman didn't hold back after hearing how much chaos Loki had left behind. Ada tried to smother a laugh when Loki glared at her, as if this was somehow her fault.

"That was for New York!"

"I like her," he decided after recovering from his initial surprise. "She's quite the feisty one, much like your friend here."

"You really wanna say that after that little bout back there?" Ada demanded. She narrowed her eyes when Loki glared at her. "Because quite frankly, I'm not opposed to kicking your sorry ass before we get out of this place."

Loki opened his mouth, ready to spit something in response when they saw a flash of light illuminating in the distance. Ada glanced out the window to see that the Bifrost had been opened, signaling that Heimdal had begun their plan. In order to drawl Odin away, Heimdal would use the Bifrost as a distraction. It was a brilliant plan, especially since Odin had ordered that no one was allowed to leave Asgard unless he gave the order.

They still had to meet with Volstagg and Fandral after that was said and done. The two of them had promised to hold off the guards' advancement for as long as they could. It was only a matter of time before Odin figured out that this was all a distraction.

"I'll hold the guards off for as long as I can," Lady Sif assured them once Jane returned to Thor's side.

"Thank you," Thor nodded his thanks just as the guards began rushing towards them.

Sif suddenly stopped Loki with her sword, shooting him a warning glare, "Betray him, and I will kill you."

"It's good to see you too, Sif," Loki grinned in response.

Sif merely narrowed her eyes and pulled her sword back. She glanced in Ada's direction, giving her a nod that she returned as an encouraging gesture. She knew it wasn't easy for Sif or the others to fight back against the guards. They had all been trained to follow Odin's orders. To go against them was ultimate treason, and they would likely face punishment for what they did. Sif and the others were incredibly brave. Ada couldn't help but admire them for their courage, loyalty and friendship towards Thor for that reason.

"Perhaps I was wrong about my earlier statement," the trickster put in as they made their way to Volstagg.

A knot formed in the pit of Ada's stomach as she felt his gaze boring through her. There were times when she wondered why she held back against him. Hurting Loki now would be a suicide mission. She'd attacked him during the battle when he was gloating in the Tower. And his words still rang in the back of her mind. The logical part of her mind kept telling her that he was wrong. Yet, another part kept pining for something greater.

 _Have any of our people killed others for the pleasure of killing_? she wondered. She couldn't help but frown at the thought. Ada realized how terrible that would be. The Black Knights had been hunting the Aliquid for centuries, and to give them a reason for killing wasn't the right answer. A shiver swept through her at the thought. These were questions better left for Nadia when she was in the mood to talk. She couldn't bring herself to strike a conversation with Loki, Jane or Thor about it. Loki would just make some kind of snide comment, while Jane would feel thoroughly confused as to what she was talking about. Thor might have an answer, but he knew next to nothing about her people.

It didn't take them long to reach the room where the first Dark Elf craft had crashed. In order to get off of Asgard, they needed something that could fly. Taking a vessel that was Asgardian would have been their best option if the ships weren't so heavily guarded. While the craft wasn't a better option, it was better than nothing.

Volstagg stood in front of the craft while waiting for their arrival. He seemed thoroughly concerned about Thor operating a craft with such technology. Ada herself knew next to nothing about the ship; she'd never seen anything like it until now. She had her doubts earlier, but seeing the look written across Thor's face told her that any confidence from earlier was nearly lost. Swallowing hard, she tried to push the worry of what would happen if they couldn't fly the vessel out of the palace.

"I will give you as much time as I can," Volstagg reassured them after giving Thor a gruff nod. "Take care of yourself, Lady Stark."

He added the last part with a warm smile, which she returned gratefully. She had only just been warming up to him, and the Warrior's Three along with Lady Sif. It felt strange to realize that she and Jane were finally going back home.

"You too, Volstagg," she replied.

She hoped he and the others wouldn't face too severe a punishment for doing what was right. They began heading towards the ship when Volstagg suddenly stopped Loki, grabbing him by the shoulder, "If you even think of betraying him…"

"You will kill me?" Loki guessed in a mocking tone, "Evidently, there is a line."

He glanced pointedly in Ada's direction, to which she glared back, "Believe it or not, Sif and I aren't the first."

The trickster didn't need to be told twice who she was referring to. His face fell after recalling that he'd taken over Clint's mind. The archer hadn't exactly forgiven Loki for that trick, and she had a feeling that he would be the first one to fire an arrow at him.

"I believe I would prefer whatever punishment you have in mind for me."

His comment came so unexpectedly that Ada looked at Loki in disbelief. The smirk that spread across his face was enough for her fists to clench.

"Do you always have a way of irritating people?" she grumbled.

"Only if they allow themselves to be irritated."

By now, Ada was struggling not to punch him when his smirk widened. He really was getting a kick out of seeing her reaction, which aggravated her further. She wished that she had better control over her temper, but Loki was slowly pushing her over the edge.

"Tell me you know how to fly this thing?" she asked after they finally climbed inside the ship.

Jane stood not far away, watching the trio curiously as Thor studied the buttons on what she guessed was the control panel.

"I am uncertain… but, it cannot be that hard," he replied in a hopeful tone.

"I thought you said you knew how to fly this ship!" Loki chimed in with a look of alarm.

More guards were beginning to pour into the room as Volstagg managed to hold them off. With Thor frantically hitting the buttons, Ada doubted they would get anywhere anytime soon. She held back a sigh of frustration, rubbing her temple to keep the headache that formed from getting worse.

"I said, 'how hard can it be?'"

Thor's movements became more frantic as Loki continued making comments, "Well, whatever you're doing, brother, I suggest you do it faster."

"Shut up Loki," Thor finally snapped.

"You must have missed something."

Loki moved forward to see the panels himself.

"I didn't, I'm pressing every button on this thing."

As if to prove his point, Thor tried running his hands along every button he could.

"No, don't hit it," Loki argued, "Just press it gently."

"I am pressing them gently!"

"Would you two quit bickering and get your damn act together already?" Ada finally shouted above their bickering.

Her headache was only getting worse, and Loki hadn't helped matters by pushing his brother over the edge. She knew that she would lose control if the tension between them got any worse.

"You can really tell they're brothers from the way they argue," Jane added under her breath.

Eventually, Thor was finally able to get the craft moving. Relief swept through Ada as it hovered in the air for a few seconds. Then the chaos followed. Because the ship wasn't Asgardian, Thor wasn't familiar with the controls. The ship moved slowly through the halls, smashing through the columns until it finally broke free from the palace. Thor's triumphant laughter was short lived when he managed to crash into a few other columns along the way.

"I think you missed a column!" Loki remarked.

"Shut up."

Ada pinched the bridge of her nose when she realized that they weren't going to cease their arguing. She tried relying on the breathing exercises Banner taught her to keep the headache from getting worse. Anything was better than listening to their banter as Loki continued making snide comments.

"Look, why don't you let me take over, I'm clearly the best pilot," Loki started after trying to push Thor out of the way.

"Is that right? Well, out of the two of us which one can actually fly?"

Thor's smug look was enough for Loki to back away in disgust. As much as he hated to admit it, Thor was right. The silence that followed was short-lived when Jane suddenly collapsed to the floor. She had begun looking paler than ever before that.

"Oh dear, is she dead?" Loki asked dryly.

Ada rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time as she checked for a pulse. To her relief, Jane was alive. The Aether was likely taking a toll on her body. The Healers had warned them that this would happen eventually.

"I'm fine," Jane brushed her off when Thor asked if she was okay.

The ship suddenly careened into another statue, this one bigger than the others. Ada winced as the impact caused the ship to jolt. She was thankful she grabbed hold of something to keep her from lurching forward. Tumbling out of the ship would have added insult to injury.

"Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather!" Loki paused, and Ada was almost positive Thor was ready to smack him upside the head for his comments, "You know this is wonderful! This is a tremendous idea. Let's steal the biggest most obvious ship in the universe and escape, flying around the city, smashing into everything in sight so everyone can see us"

Thor shot Ada a pleading look, and she rose an eyebrow incredulously as she guessed what he wanted her to do. One nod was all it took for her suddenly wrap an arm around Loki's neck. He let out a yelp of surprise when she dove out of the ship, using the air around them to cushion their landing on Fandral's ship.

"And that's for being an asshole," Ada snapped after regaining her composure.

"I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki," Fandral remarked with a smirk of amusement.

It was only a few seconds later when Thor landed on the ship with Jane in his arms. Loki finally recovered from his initial shock. Though, to Ada's surprise and annoyance, he didn't look entirely surprised that _she_ was the one who pried him off the Dark Elf ship.

"You lied to me," he started while dusting himself off, "I'm impressed."

"I'm glad you are pleased," Thor replied with a nod, "Now, do as you promised. Take us to your secret pathway."

Loki simply smirked and took over the helm after Fandral stepped aside. The relief Ada felt earlier was short-lived when she noticed Asgardian ships were closing in on them. She wasn't entirely surprised that Odin had discovered their escape faster than anticipated.

"Fandral."

"Right." Fandral gave another nod as he tensed up upon seeing the approaching ships. He too agreed to buy them as much time as he could once he salvaged the ship. "For Asgard."

Once Fandral used the rope to give him support and keep him from crashing into the sea below, he leaped off and landed on the other ships. Just as Fandral took a leap of faith, Loki turned the ship towards a band of mountains looming ahead.

"Loki!" Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when she realized his intentions.

"If it were easy, everyone would do it," Loki pointed out with the same smug look from earlier.

"Are you mad?" Thor demanded.

The Trickster only grinned at Thor and Ada's expenses, "Possibly."

Ada couldn't help but flinch when the mountains drew closer and closer. Even Thor was bracing himself for impact as he held onto Jane tightly, fearing that a crash would kill them all. Her eyes squeezed shut just as the mountains became unbearably close. It wasn't until she felt a rush of air that Ada opened her eyes again, only to notice that they hadn't crashed into the mountain.

"Ta-da!" Loki cheered as they emerged from the other side of Asgard.

* * *

 **AN: Ah Loki... one of these days you're going to regret speaking out the way you do... (that was totally not an Infinity Wars reference there). I have to say, I did enjoy writing this chapter, mostly because of Loki's banter and how Ada confronts him. Most of all, I actually appreciate the fact that the Warrior's Three and Lady Sif were so loyal to Thor in the movie. They were devoted to Odin and protecting the people of Asgard, but they maintained their loyalty to Thor until the bitter end.**

 **Anywho... I'm rambling now XD Thanks to UltimateFan-girl15 and sakuraddiction for reviewing!**


	60. Chapter Sixty

**Chapter Sixty**

"Ta-da!"

Loki's words rang through Ada's ears. She rolled her eyes in annoyance as she struggled to maintain her composure. Ada wasn't sure what had been worse – putting up with the bickering between Thor and Loki, or surviving Loki's piloting skills.

"You're an even bigger asshole than the last time I saw you," she muttered under her breath. The Trickster threw her a mischievous look. "How the hell is it that you can be worse than before?"

"Perhaps you should try spending a few months in prison to find out," he replied without missing a beat. Ada crossed her arms over her chest. She knew Loki was playing with her emotions. He could sense that she was on the verge of losing control, and it took everything she had to maintain her composure. Not for the first time, she silently thanked Natasha for teaching her how to mask her emotions. "It is clear that you could use it."

"Spending time in seclusion is one of the easiest ways for someone to lose their mind," she retorted.

She'd watched enough interrogation videos from SHIELD to know that was the case. It was one of the best tactics they had to get someone to talk, other than instilling fear in their victim's mind. Ada quickly learned how to use those tactics on her enemies when they were needed. Though admittedly, it was one of her least favorite tactics simply because it could cause one to go crazy.

"Are you certain the same has not happened to you?" The smug look written across his face added insult to injury. Ada reacted purely out of instinct. She moved to slap him across the face, hoping to wipe that smirk off when he caught her wrist. "I wouldn't try that trick again, mortal," he warned her with a sneer. "Thor will not always be around to protect you. Nor will that Captain of yours."

Ada only glared back. Thor's distraction with Jane was the only reason that Loki had gotten away with his actions thus far. She knew that she was likely going to regret fighting back, but she couldn't resist allowing flames to appear at the palm of her hand. Loki immediately released his grip the moment his own hand began burning from her contact.

"I don't need his protection," she snapped, her voice barely a whisper, "Or Steve's, for that matter."

The trickster wasn't given a chance to argue when Thor finally joined them. His expression morphed from a look of fury to calm as Thor looked between the two of them. As naive as Thor was to their argument, he did notice the tension between them.

"We have arrived in Svartalfheim," he informed both Ada and Jane once the ship had finally landed.

It wasn't exactly a smooth landing either. Ada hadn't missed the fact that most of it was smashed into pieces after Loki crashed it into the soil beneath them. The ship had been flung from one world to another, and it was hard to maneuver it around the sudden change in worlds.

As they emerged from the ship, Ada felt a lump form in the back of her throat.

Svartalfheim looked as if it had been left in ruins. Any signs of life couldn't be seen. Even the ground beneath them seemed dead. This world had been destroyed by Malekith. She could make out bits of armor and destroyed ships scattered across the landscape.

A knot formed in her stomach as she wondered if this was what a dead planet looked like. There was enough evidence to go around that dead planets existed. Worst still, it made her wonder if this was what the Aliquid had fled from when they left their own planet. Nadia never once explained why the Aliquid left their planet in the first place. Then again, Heimdal had mentioned that her people shared a similar fate to the Dark Elves. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought. Life on any planet was fragile enough without a madman making it worse.

She glanced in their direction, noticing that Thor gently laid Jane to the ground and carefully placed a blanket over her. The woman looked paler than ever. Unease swept through Ada when she realized that Jane didn't likely have much time left. The Aether had taken its toll on her, and the energy was slowly sucking her life dry.

"What I could do with the power that flows through those veins," Loki mused as he too watched Thor tentatively care for Jane.

"It would consume you," Thor reminded him with a pointed look.

While he did his best not to let Loki get to him, it was obvious that their arguments had taken a strain on him. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she looked ahead doubtfully.

 _What would happen if_ I _lost control_? she couldn't help but wonder.

Then she recalled what had happened back in Killian's compound. She _did_ lose control that time. It had been terrifying, especially because Tony had also been there at the time. She hadn't realized until then just how close she had been to hurting him.

The thought sent a shiver of fear through her. Was it right for her to use her powers in public? Her powers were the reason SHIELD allowed her to join in the first place. Avoiding the problem was never the right answer, but it made her realize that she could do better. She couldn't rely on them forever.

Unfortunately, she didn't have time to dwell on the matter when she noticed Malekith's ship arrive. Another shiver of dread swept through her when she noticed the Dark Elves slowly emerge from their imposing ship.

"Malekith," Jane whispered in a warning tone as she stood up.

"Are you ready for this?" Thor looked between Ada and Loki uneasily.

Even he wasn't happy with the plan they had in mind. In order for it to work, they needed to make the plan look as convincing as possible. Ada gave a reluctant nod, while Loki remained impossible to read.

"I am," he replied without hesitation. "You know this plan of yours is going to get us killed."

"If it means keeping the rest of the world protected, it'll be worth it," Ada muttered under her breath.

"Your death will be meaningless, mortal," Loki sneered with a roll of his eyes.

Though, he did look impressed that she was willing to sacrifice herself.

Thor looked between the two, still unsure whether he should intervene or not. After the way Loki had acted on the ship, Ada was hardly surprised that he noticed the tension between them. They weren't at each other's throats, yet. She suspected the only reason Loki hadn't lashed out was because Thor _had_ been keeping an eye on them.

They paused during their approach, with Loki holding up the cuffs still wrapped around his wrists.

"You still don't trust me?" he asked, frowning when Thor hesitated.

"Can you hardly blame him?" Ada countered with a snort of disbelief, "You haven't exactly given us any reason to trust you, especially given everything you stand for."

"No…" Loki paused and smirked as Thor released the cuffs around him, "I wouldn't."

Ada watched with a mixture of worry and anger as Loki suddenly stabbed Thor in the stomach with a piece of metal. She had to remind herself that this was part of the plan. They had already discussed how it would fall into place, but to watch it unfold before her and not do anything made it that much worse. Ada clenched her fists to keep herself from interfering too much. Even if they had planned everything, that didn't mean she wasn't willing to throw a fireball at Loki every now and then.

"Do you really think I cared about Frigga, about anyone?" Loki sneered while kicking Thor violently in the side. "All I ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!"

Thor raised his hands in self-defense in the vain hope to convince Loki otherwise. Ada flinched when Loki retaliated by cutting his hand off with a blade and kicked him down the hill. Though the scene looked entirely real and to the point where she felt her stomach clench, she had to remain vigilant. Unfortunately, Jane wasn't made aware of the plan. She finally reached Thor after realizing too late that Loki was going to kill him.

"Thor!"

Jane had already reached his side and collapsed to her knees as Ada kept a wary distance from them. Loki didn't give her a chance to figure out why he betrayed them. Instead, he grabbed hold of her and began making his way towards the Dark Elves.

"Malekith, I am Loki of Jotunheim and I bring you a gift!" As Loki said this, Ada caught Malekith looking in the direction where she had been hiding. The last thing she wanted was to give away her position. She was only there to make sure that things didn't get out of hand, even if it seemed like they already had. Every instinct in her body kept telling her to fight off Loki and make sure that Thor and Jane were okay. She had to keep reminding herself that this was part of their plan. "I ask only one thing in return, a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn."

The troll-like creature that Thor had described earlier whispered something to Malekith in their language. Ada narrowed her eyes, wondering what sort of ancient language they were speaking in. It sounded Norse, yet it had a strange accent that she couldn't quite pinpoint.

Malekith finally seemed to consider what Loki told him and approached them both confidently. With Thor struggling to sit up, Malekith simply looked down at him in amusement. Not for the first time, Ada struggled not to intervene as Malekith looked between Thor and Loki.

"Look at me," he sneered after using his foot to force Thor on his side.

She winced when Malekith managed to lift Jane in the air. When she noticed the strange red substance surrounding Jane's body, she knew that was the Aether.

 _How could something so small be so dangerous_? she wondered with a frown.

Odin mentioned to them that the Aether acted as its own entity. She wondered for the first time how that was possible. The Aether and the Tesseract sounded similar in some ways.

"Loki, Ada, now!"

The moment Thor shouted those words was when Ada emerged from her hiding place and threw a fireball in the troll-like creature's direction. Loki used Malekith's momentary distraction to let Thor's hand reappear, and Mjölnir returned to it seconds later. Loki managed to form a barrier around the Aether in the attempt of stopping Malekith from taking the substance for himself, but it shattered just as he formed it, causing the Aether to form into what looked like a cloud of red dust.

She suddenly grabbed Jane and pulled her out of the way just as Thor and Loki tried to keep Malekith and his monster distracted. Once Jane was out of the way, the brothers managed to hold their own for the first few minutes. Ada swallowed hard when she realized that even with the three of them wielding their powers, the Dark Elves were still too strong.

The monster that looked more like a troll had begun stalking towards Thor while he was distracted. All Ada could think to do at that moment was fight back before it could strike. Even if they were outnumbered and outmatched, that didn't mean she was planning on letting them win. She threw a fireball at the monster to keep it from reaching Thor, and she winced when Jane's eyes fluttered open in time to see the monster approaching them.

"Ada, what are you doing?" she asked in a weak voice.

"My job," Ada replied without missing a beat. After seeing what Malekith and his people were capable of doing, she knew Thor and Loki could use all of the help she had to offer. Protecting Jane was the most important task she had, but that didn't mean she couldn't throw out a fireball or two at the Dark Elves. "Just stay here and wait… Thor wouldn't forgive me if I let anything happen to you."

Jane just looked as if she was about to argue when she seemed to think better of it. Even if she could stand up and join in the fight, she was still too weak to do so. She simply nodded and tried to put some distance between herself and the fight while Ada rounded on the monster. The monster itself was now close enough that Ada had a better view of the beast, and a shiver of unease swept through her as she realized just how terrifying it looked. She rounded on the monster by swinging a fist into its chest, wincing at the sudden pain that bolted through her.

 _Are these things made of rocks_? she wondered after trying to shake off the pain.

She tried using the same tactic, this time with her leg and aiming in a different spot. Relief swept through her when the monster finally lurched forward from the impact of her kicks. She used a combination of her kicks and her powers to keep it at bay, and to keep it from getting any closer to Jane. Yet, for all of the fighting techniques she used on the monster, they only seemed to slow it down. Ada's eyes narrowed with frustration as she realized that nothing was working.

It wasn't until she glanced at Jane that she noticed the blond was struggling back to her feet. Ada nearly rolled her eyes at Jane's stubbornness, and was about to reach her side when the monster suddenly grabbed her by the throat. Her heart nearly skipped a beat as she realized too late that the monster had a strong grip. Despite her efforts at struggling free, it only seemed to tighten its grip. Black spots were beginning to appear along the edge of her vision when the monster slammed her on the ground seconds later.

Pain bolted through Ada the minute she landed on the ground. Her mind began spinning with horror when she noticed the metal blade that the monster pulled out. The tip was aimed at her throat, and it only took a few seconds for her to register what the monster was planning. These Dark Elves weren't above death. Experience on Asgard taught her that she shouldn't have turned her back. Her stomach twisted in knots, and she knew at that moment this could be her last battle.

All Ada could do at that point was brace herself for the pain that would follow.

The monster raised his weapon, ready to strike the final blow when someone pushed Ada out of the way. She tried to bite back the cry of pain that threatened to follow as she looked at whoever pushed her. The shouting in the distance left her ears ringing from the shock that followed. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw that someone was Loki. And the monster had impaled him with the metal that was meant for her.

"See you in hell, monster," Loki sneered after revealing what looked like a grenade.

It took everything Ada had to ignore the pain that followed when she staggered towards him. The monster all but exploded into a rain of flesh and ash. The sight was enough to send shivers through Ada as she finally reached Loki's side.

"Dammit Loki, this was not supposed to be part of the plan!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

She desperately tried using her powers on the injury the monster inflicted, only it didn't seem to be working. Her heart sank as she realized too late that the wound was too deep. He was losing too much blood, and her own injury was just slowing her down.

"Don't… Don't waste your powers or your life on me," he stopped her by grabbing hold of her wrist carefully enough that it wouldn't cause further damage. Ada swallowed hard as their eyes met. "I'm not worth the risk."

"You're worth a hell of a lot more than that, Loki," Ada shook her head in disbelief. The Asgardian just stared at her in surprise as she offered a guilty smile. "I'm sorry for what happened to you… and to Frigga. None of it should have happened."

It looked as if there was more he wanted to say. But he didn't get the chance when Thor finally reached them, having fought off the rest of Malekith's army.

"No, no! You fool, you didn't listen!" Thor exclaimed after gently holding Loki in one arm.

Ada squeezed her eyes shut at the pain of not just her injury, but of losing yet another life. It didn't seem fair. While Loki wasn't a saint, he certainly didn't deserve to die like this.

"I know, I'm a fool… I'm a fool!" Loki winced in pain at the jerkiness of Thor's movements, and Ada suddenly wished there was more she could do to help him.

 _What use is having the ability to heal if I can't use it to heal his wounds_? she wondered bitterly. She kept asking the same question over and over when it came to trying to save innocent lives.

"Stay with me! Stay!"

"I'm sorry!"

By now, Ada had to look away when she felt tears brimming the edge of her vision. She didn't realize until than that she was crying. She would never get used to losing the people she cared about. That sort of pain was something that would never go away.

"It's alright," Thor whispered. He glanced at Ada anxiously, as if begging her to use her powers to heal his injury. She only shook her head, knowing that wouldn't get her anywhere. After trying to use them before, she doubted they would work now. "I'll tell father what you did here today."

"I didn't do it for him," Loki retorted.

Something flashed within his eyes. A look that told Ada he had done this for Frigga. Yet, Ada also saw something else. Confusion swept through her as Jane joined them, watching the scene with sympathy. Even she wasn't sure what to say after noticing just how distraught Thor was over losing both Loki and Frigga.

They sat there for what felt like hours when Loki drew his last breath. Thor didn't move from his spot until Jane finally put a comforting hand on his shoulder. While she didn't understand what he was going through, she did know how to provide what little comfort she could.

"I couldn't do a damn thing to help him," Ada whispered guiltily. She hadn't moved from where she was sitting at an awkward angle, trying to ignore the dull pain throbbing in her leg. "Sometimes I wonder what the point of having this kind of power is."

"Ada, you need to stop blaming yourself for something you have no control over," Jane suddenly snapped. Ada glanced at the older woman in surprise as she caught Jane eyeing her self-consciously. "Look, all I've ever seen you do is help people who wouldn't give a crap. And you beat yourself up if anything goes wrong. All I can say is, you're stronger than you realize, and there are some battles that you just can't win."

Thor stood up as Ada just stared at Jane in disbelief. She wasn't expecting to hear that kind of speech, especially from someone who hadn't been all that keen to see her again. But, hearing those words from Jane meant more than she would ever admit out loud.

"Jane Foster is correct," Thor put in helpfully. "You are a good warrior, and an even better Midgardian."

Despite the situation they were in, Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed, "Well, it's good to know that some people believe that."

The three of them continued limping on in solemn silence. Ada's movements were painfully slow thanks to her injury. With Thor and Jane using one another for support, the progress they made seemed even slower than before. Jane used their trek as a chance to talk about what she saw when Malekith sucked the Aether from her body.

"He's gonna unleash it, not just on Asgard or on a star… Malekith is going to destroy everything," she whispered as she clutched onto Thor's arm.

Ada looked down at the ground guiltily as she thought of everything that had happened thanks to the Dark Elves. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for Malekith and his greed for power.

"How, Jane?" Thor asked anxiously. "How?"

"He's going to use the Convergence," Ada muttered crossly. "I'm willing to bet that Malekith is going to use the Convergence to spread the Aether's power from one world to the next. He won't be satisfied until everything's consumed."

Jane nodded in agreement, looking grim at the thought of what would happen if Malekith succeeded in his goal. Ada could only imagine… if the results were anything like the homeworld of the Dark Elves, the rest of the universe wouldn't look much better.

"Oh God… None of this would have happened if I hadn't found the Aether," Jane whispered as realization dawned on her.

"Then Malekith would have located the Aether and possessed it that much sooner," Thor reminded her.

"Besides, you can't exactly blame yourself for being curious about those readings," Ada put in.

The blond made a face at the mention of exploring those readings. Truthfully, none of this would have happened if she'd moved on from Thor. Ada wasn't going to point that out, especially when she knew that Thor was right about Malekith.

"I only found it because I was looking for you."

By now, Ada's injuries had begun healing themselves as they finally reached what looked like the entrance to a cave. Ada looked around warily as she wondered if this was the last refuge the Dark Elves opposed to Malekith's plans hid themselves in. A lump formed in the back of her throat at the thought. She couldn't help but wonder if there were those who had opposed his idea, and if they had been killed because of it.

She was ready to say something when an unfamiliar object caught her attention. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Ada walked over to what looked like a pile of the shoes that had been thrown into the 'portal' those kids discovered. Jane's eyes lit up with interest when she too noticed all the shoes. Just as she reached the shoes, Jane's phone began to ring with the same ringtone from at the warehouse. Ada nearly rolled her eyes at the scowl written across Jane's face, until she realized that she finally had full service on her phone.

Ada flinched when she felt her phone vibrate a dozen times from messages left by Tony. He would have likely called her phone, her Stark Pad and just about any other means of communication since she disappeared. Not being able to call back had been hell, especially since she knew he'd be pissed when she returned.

"Hello?" Jane asked after answering her phone.

 _Tony's going to kill me when we get back home_ , Ada thought after wincing at the dozens of messages that were left by him. Though, she was surprised to see that one message had been left by _Steve_ of all people. For a moment, she was caught off guard when she noticed Thor watching over her shoulder curiously.

"I did not know you and the Captain were together," he remarked thoughtfully.

"We're not," Ada answered a little too quickly. She let out a heavy sigh when Thor rose an eyebrow while Jane tried keeping in touch with Richard. "It's complicated."

She shook her head and ignored the quizzical look the Asgardian threw her. Luckily, Thor didn't dwell on the subject. The discovery of the shoes and their phones having full service told Ada that there was a portal nearby. Jane must have reached that conclusion as well, because she kept looking for stronger signals on her phone.

"Why are there so many shoes here?" Thor asked when he finally took notice of all the shoes.

Ada only laughed at Thor's question as she reached a pocket of air different from that of the world they were on. She couldn't quite describe it, but the damp, cool air reminded her of the weather in London. She almost grinned when all three of them stepped through the portal. Relief swept through Ada when she finally found herself in familiar territory. They were finally back home.

* * *

 **AN: Blah, this scene was so hard to write... I think you've already guessed by now that I'm not the best at writing action scenes. I hope I didn't butcher it from the movie. But I did my best to write it out as much as I could remember from the movie, so hopefully it's okay. Thank you UltimateFan-girl15, kaia, Lavenderstiches and coffeemusings86 for reviewing!**

 **kaia - She definitely should have, but she's holding back for a reason. I think Malekith's monster kind of did that for her.**


	61. Chapter Sixty One

**Chapter Sixty One**

Ada had never felt more relieved to be back in the warehouse than the moment she felt the familiar damp London air. She sucked in a deep breath, relishing the familiar fresh air that filled her lungs. It was strange to think that she had been on not one, but two different worlds all on the same day. Returning to Earth had been their primary mission, but now, she wasn't sure what to do from there. They had to stop Malekith from unleashing the Aether, but unless they were able to figure out where he would do that, they were helpless.

"Your leg looks as if it's almost healed," Jane remarked after noticing that Ada was no longer limping.

She blinked in surprise until testing her leg to prove Jane's theory. Truthfully, the adrenaline of being back on Earth kept her mind off of the pain. She wasn't expecting to find that Jane was right. As she put weight on the injury where that monster attacked her, she didn't feel the familiar bolt of pain. She almost grinned at the realization that her powers had kicked in again. Though, the grin faded almost immediately as she thought of how she could have saved Loki, and countless other people.

"I don't even know how my powers work," she admitted with a heavy sigh. Jane looked at her thoughtfully when Ada found herself glaring down at the floor. "I thought I knew the extent of them, but just when I seem to crack the code, something new comes up."

"Your powers seem to adapt to whatever situation you're in," Jane pointed out. "I'm not a scientist who knows about enhancements, powers or even mutants, but I'm willing to bet that's why they keep changing on you."

"I'm beginning to wonder if these powers are worth keeping around," Ada muttered under her breath as Thor finally joined them. He frowned when he noticed how uneasy both Ada and Jane looked. "Sorry… it isn't fair for me to keep complaining when all of this is happening."

She gestured around all three of them as if to prove a point. Malekith was still on the loose and he posed a threat to the universe. Then there was the problem regarding how she would deal with Tony when this was over. He wasn't going to let her live it down that she ended up in two different worlds. He'd never let her leave the Tower or the mansion again if he had his way. It wasn't fair to keep bringing everyone down with her when there was still so much to worry about.

"With everything that has happened, I find no fault in your behavior, Lady Stark," Thor reassured her with a solemn look.

She simply returned the gesture with a grateful nod. Since Jane had grabbed the keys to the Jeep that Darcy dropped through the portal, all they had to do now was find the vehicle itself. That wasn't as hard as Ada expected. It hadn't been impounded like she would have thought, and it was still parked in the same spot where they left it. Jane quickly climbed in the vehicle, with Thor sitting beside her and Ada sitting in the passenger seat.

She pulled out the phone from her pocket, feeling her shoulders sag as she scrolled through the dozens of messages left by Tony while they drove back to the apartment. A small part of her dreaded the conversation that would follow when she called him back. Her battery was almost dead, which gave her some time to think of what excuse she would make. Fortunately, the drive to their apartment didn't take too long. Ada would have trusted Jane's driving over Darcy's any day.

"We're gonna have to explain to everyone what happened while we were there," Ada murmured when they pulled into a parking space.

Rain had begun falling over them as they all climbed out of the Jeep. Ada shivered from the sudden cold and tried to ignore it as Thor reached her side. Jane made a face at the thought of having to explain everything that happened. It would take hours for them to tell the whole story, and something told Ada they didn't have hours.

"We need to keep the story as subtle as possible," she sighed in annoyance. "Darcy's going to freak as it is knowing that we were on Asgard, let alone how she's going to react when we tell them about Malekith."

Ada grimaced at the thought of how Darcy of all people would react to that bit of news. Darcy was one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for, but she also had a tendency to overreact. She could understand why Jane needed some time away from Darcy's boundless energy. Though, she would never admit out loud that Darcy was one of the many reasons she'd agreed to stay with them when she was given the chance.

"Jane! Ada!"

Before they could make it to the door, it suddenly opened to reveal an over-excited and relieved Darcy. Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise when Darcy gave them both bear hugs, ignoring the groan of annoyance from Jane.

"Hey…"

They both greeted Darcy at the same time, neither sure how to react to her sudden entrance. Darcy threw them both a look that said neither of them were getting away with randomly disappearing on Asgard. Though in Ada's defense, she had been following her instinct. Jane was just taken to Asgard because Thor thought it was the right choice.

"Can I use your phone?" Ada suddenly asked when she showed how low on battery life her phone was.

When Darcy gave a nod and let her through, Ada let her shoulders sag in relief. She ignored the looks of surprise from both Ian and Erik Selvig as she reached for the landline phone. She silently prayed that Tony wouldn't answer the phone, but something told her that wasn't going to work in her favor. After seeing the dozens of messages that were left on her phone, she knew she was in for more than just an earful.

" _Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in_?"

Sure enough, Tony's voice sounded through the other line. Ada held back a sigh of frustration, biting her tongue as she struggled to explain why she hadn't been able to answer her phone for so long. She had been bracing herself for the long-awaited phone call that would more than likely end in a punishment of some sorts. Tony certainly didn't disappoint when it came to those calls.

"Dad, before you go into a tangent of how grounded I am, please just let me take care of some things," she replied as steadily as she could. "I ended up having to find a way back home after being on Asgard, and something worse came up. Oh, and Thor's back on Earth."

" _One, you are grounded young lady_ ," came Tony's response. Ada just rolled her eyes as she braced herself for that kind of outcome. " _And two, how the hell is Thor back on Earth? Just what exactly happened_?"

"Like I said, it's a long story," she sighed. She glanced at the others as Thor tried to settle into a domestic life on Earth. To her amusement, he hung his hammer on one of the coat racks while observing the small space that was their apartment. "It's gonna be another day or two before I get home."

Tony seemed to put some thought into her warning. If she knew him, Tony would have tried looking for any excuse to get caught in the crossfire. Not for the first time, she found herself begging silently that he would be smart enough to know this was one threat he couldn't handle. That he would have to trust her just this once and let her handle the situation.

" _Alright_ ," he finally relented. Ada had never felt more relieved to hear him say that simple word than at that moment. " _By the way, Cap called yesterday. He says hi_."

"Tell me you're joking?"

Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat at the mention of Steve. Was he really willing to reach out that easily? She knew that he didn't get along that well with Tony; their personalities clashed in the worst ways. Then again, she wasn't much better. The fact that Steve reached out at all was sweet, and showed her that maybe there was hope after all.

" _Nope, not joking_ ," Tony laughed as if that was the funniest response he'd heard all day. " _Kiddo, don't ever forget how much I love you_."

She couldn't hide the smile that followed. As irritating as Tony could be when it came to being overprotective, she loved rare moments like these. He didn't say those words often, and she almost wished the moment would last. The only consolation she had was that it wouldn't be long before they saw one another again. For once, she was actually looking forward to going home to see everyone again.

"Love you too, dad," she replied without missing a beat.

Once they hung up, Ada quickly plugged her phone into the charger and joined the others around the kitchen table. Jane had already finished getting ready and gathered whatever equipment she could. Ada rose an eyebrow in concern when she noticed that Selvig was in his underwear.

"Is there any reason you're in your underwear?" she asked curiously.

"He says it helps him think," Ian explained as Selvig shook his head.

"It's good to see you again, Ada," the older man greeted her, as if he was relieved to see a familiar face.

"Okay, now I know something's wrong with you," she pushed him away when he tried hugging her.

She suddenly remembered that Selvig had been possessed by Loki during the battle of Manhattan. Not for the first time, it was a wonder that the others who were under Loki's control didn't meet the same fate. The doctor just frowned when he noticed that she wasn't letting him anywhere near her. At least not until he changed into decent clothing, and possibly had his head examined. She caught Jane looking at her warily, and the blond just shook her head.

"We need to get everything together and ready before we plan this final attack," she warned everyone.

With that thought in mind, Ada quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes after getting in the shower. It suddenly felt as if it had been days since she had a decent shower. She wasn't sure how much time had passed since they were in Asgard. The messages on her phone suggested that it had only been a couple of days, but it felt longer than that. She tried pushing the thought aside. With so much going on at the moment, thinking about it wouldn't get her anywhere.

Once she was finished getting ready, she walked down the stairs to see that Jane had everything set up on the table. Selvig was hovering over the notes that Jane dotted down while discussing what they would do with Thor. Darcy looked both bored and interested at the same time, if that was even possible. She slouched on one of the kitchen chairs while listening to them talk about the Convergence and how Malekith was planning to use it as a means of destruction.

"Malekith is going to fire the Aether at a spot where all the nine worlds are connected," Jane explained after making sure that everyone was listening.

Ada stood across from where she and Thor were standing, studying the map that was spread across the table carefully. Unless they were able to figure out the location of Malekith's next attack, everyone was at risk. She wanted nothing more than to make sure that he was stopped and that the Aether was taken care of properly. Odin's lie was what had gotten them into this mess, and now they had to clean it up before it got any worse.

"He's using the Convergence as a way of amplifying the Aether's power," she put in warily. "And if he manages to succeed in his plan, it'll mean the destruction of several worlds at once."

"Right, the nine worlds aren't just the only ones affected by the Aether's powers," Selvig nodded in agreement.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she realized just how much the universe was relying on them to stop Malekith. Billions of lives were at stake. She suddenly felt as if a huge weight as on her shoulders when she thought of how risky this was. How many people were going to suffer because of one man's greed for power?

"Well, the alignment is only temporary," Thor warned them. "He must be in exactly at the right place at the right time."

"How do we know where that is?" Darcy asked curiously.

"We follow the directions. This has happened before, thousands of years ago, and The Ancients were there to see it," Selvig told her. "All the great constructions: the Mayas, the Chinese, the Egyptians, they made use of the gravitational effects of the Convergence. And they left us a map." Ada watched curiously as he began pinpointing the different locations of each ancient civilization. As much as she hated to admit it, his theory did make sense. All of those locations sounded as if they had something to do with the Convergence. "Stonehenge. Snowdon, the Great Orme. These are all coordinates taking us… here."

"Greenwich?" Ada asked skeptically.

"The walls between worlds will be almost non-existent. Physics is gonna go ballistic. Increase and decrease in gravity, spatial extrusions. The very fabric of reality is gonna be torn apart," Jane warned them.

"Well, this should be exciting."

Ada crossed her arms at the thought of how they would handle the situation. Physics going nuts wasn't necessarily her favorite cup of tea. She had enough issues with her powers as it was without physics working against them.

"I better get my pants."

That comment was enough for Ada to raise an eyebrow in disbelief. She was saved from having to ask what he meant by that when everyone was herded out of the apartment. They needed to reach Greenwich as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, time was against them.

Fortunately, it didn't take them long to reach their destination. Once they arrived, Ada could see that things were already starting to get chaotic. Several people were looking at the group curiously when they noticed the odd equipment Jane pulled from the Jeep. She handed the tools to everyone playing a part.

"We need to clear the area to avoid any casualties," Ada called through her earpiece.

She jogged over to a path that was located between the library and the main courtyard. The problem was, there were civilians everywhere. They weren't even aware of what was about to happen. Ada's heart sank at the thought of what would happen if they got caught in the crossfire. She couldn't let that happen, especially if they were capable of doing something about it.

"I'm all ears if you think you have a good idea of clearing the area," Jane retorted in exasperation.

Ada nearly rolled her eyes when an idea came to mind. It was risky, and it would involve exposing her powers. But, it would clear the area faster than she could imagine. She tried to keep it as subtle as possible when flames appeared at the palm of her hand. it only took a few seconds for the grassy area to catch on fire, causing people to flee just as the smoke became visible in the air. Once the area was cleared, she quickly doused the flame with what little water was available.

With a sigh of relief, Ada quickly set up the devices and gave the all clear. Jane and the others were already at their location trying to clear the area before the battle started, though Ada noticed that was with mixed success.

"You needn't have come so far, Asgardian. Death would have come to you soon enough."

The way Malekith spoke sent shivers through Ada. She wasn't sure if it was the air of confidence he reeked of, or the fact that he didn't seem to care how many lives would be taken with his need for power. She had no doubt he wouldn't feel any remorse for killing so many innocent lives. Wiping out half the universe wasn't even going to be enough to satisfy him.

"Not by your hand!" Thor shouted back.

He had been waiting at the center of the courtyard for Malekith's arrival. And like a moth drawn to the flame, the Dark Elf had arrived just as everyone finished setting up their devices. Ada just hoped that Jane's plan would work.

"Your universe was never meant to be," Malekith sneered, "Your world and your family will be extinguished."

 _Is that what happened with the Aliquid_? Ada couldn't help but wonder as she thought of what Heimdal told her. She blinked when Malekith looked in the direction where she had been hiding. After seeing the destruction he and his people left, she didn't plan on letting hurt anyone else. Flames danced along the tips of her fingers as Malekith narrowed his eyes, looking as if he was ready to charge after her. That didn't stop Malekith from firing the Aether in Thor's direction, causing him to fly back towards where Ada was hiding.

She ignored the warning look Thor threw her when he tried standing back up. Malekith was responsible for everything that had happened. And she sure as hell wasn't going to let him get away with it. The Dark Elf just looked smug with the fact that he was standing there when she suddenly charged after him, throwing a fireball in the process. Malekith managed to dodge the first couple of throws, but a the last two hit him square in the chest. Even with all of her firepower, nothing seemed to work.

That only infuriated her further. She was about to punch the smug look off his face when something happened. Before she could reach Malekith, the world suddenly changed around her in a flash, and seconds later, she found herself landing next to a building where Ian, Darcy and Selvig were standing outside of. It only took Ada a few seconds to process what just happened.

"So that's what it's like getting sucked into those portals," she groaned after struggling back to her feet.

"You know, that was pretty bad ass the way you went after him," Darcy commented with a smirk of amusement. "Just try not to make it a habit."

Ada couldn't hide the sheepish smirk that followed when Ian helped her back to her feet. She wondered for a moment where Selvig was when she guessed that he had been taken by the portals. Everywhere she looked, chaos seemed to surround them. Dark Elves were everywhere, but the moment they got close enough was when they disappeared in the blink of an eye. She saw Thor's hammer fly around once or twice, going through one portal and opening up in another.

Another group of Dark Elves suddenly appeared just seconds after the portals activated again. Both Ian and Darcy were trying to get out of the way when they were suddenly replaced with Selvig. Ada sucked in a breath when she realized that the portals were becoming more active by the second. Jane hadn't been lying when she said physics would go nuts. At that point, she tried bracing herself for just about anything that might happen.

"Ian?" Selvig asked in surprise when he noticed the three of them standing together.

"Selvig!"

By now, Ada's mind was spinning with confusion as she noticed the intense energy being created by the portals. Several things were happening at once.

"Meowmeow!" Darcy suddenly shouted when Thor's hammer swung by for the umpteenth time. Amusement gleamed within Darcy's eyes. It amazed Ada at how even during a situation where everything was on chaos, Darcy found some way of bringing amusement into it. "What? Everyone else was doing it."

"Thor!"

Ada turned in time to see Jane standing across the courtyard with two of the devices in her hands. Even after all of the attacks Thor launched at Malekith, he couldn't stop the Dark Elf. Ada felt her stomach twist with anger as she spotted Malekith standing in the middle of the courtyard.

"Even if we're able to keep all the Dark Elves at bay, it's useless without stopping Malekith," Ada sighed in frustration.

She caught the knowing look Jane threw her as they all met up.

"We're too late," Jane muttered solemnly.

"The convergence is already at its peak," Selvig put in.

Thor finally caught up with the rest of the group, looking as if he'd had enough with Malekith and his army. After going through dozens of portals, Ada couldn't blame him for feeling so exhausted. When he reached them, he eyed the devices Jane was holding thoughtfully.

"Could those things stop it?" he asked.

"Not from here," Selvig replied with a shake of his head.

"We can't get close enough," Jane put in after frowning at the thought.

"I can," Thor said once he put some thought into it.

Ada glanced at Thor warily as she realized what he was planning. The dark vortex forming around Malekith told her it would be difficult to penetrate, even with the power Thor contained.

"Are you sure you can do it on your own?" she asked warily.

"I must." She was tempted to point out that she could easily help him if he allowed it. But the look written across his face told her that was the last thing he wanted. "Your father would not be happy if I put your life in danger… again."

She let out a heavy sigh of frustration after she realized he had a point. As much as Ada hated to admit it out loud, Tony wouldn't be thrilled if he found out that she tried stopping Malekith by helping Thor. The only thing she could do was stand on the sidelines with Jane and the others.

"Just try not to get yourself killed," she muttered under her breath.

Thor gave a solemn nod of agreement and took hold of the devices. With Thor approaching Malekith, Ada stood between Darcy and Selvig while keeping an eye on the Asgardian. Her hands were clenched into fists as she watched the scene unfold.

"Malekith!" Thor shouted to gain the Dark Elf's attention.

Malekith turned at the sound of Thor's voice, a grin written across his face. A shiver swept through Ada at the look. She hated seeing how confident Malekith was. The only thing she could hope for was that Thor knew what he was doing at that point.

"The darkness returns, Asgardians," Malekith sneered. "Have you come to witness the end of your universe?"

"I've come to accept your surrender," Thor replied.

Just when Malekith's face twisted in confusion, Thor suddenly threw one of the spikes at him. Ada watched through narrowed eyes as Malekith caught the device with ease. Jane activated the device once Malekith caught it, causing his arm to disintegrate seconds later. Thor threw the second device, and when Jane activated the device again, the same thing happened with his other arm. Malekith didn't even look alarmed by the fact that his arms had been destroyed.

"Do you think you can stop this?" he demanded in another sneer. Ada knew that Thor was planning to use the third and final device to inflict the worst damage. She could see him hiding it from Malekith as the Dark Elf observed the Asgardian closely. "The Aether cannot be destroyed!"

"No. But _you_ can," Thor replied.

He summoned Mjölnir and flew into the air before Malekith could make sense of what he said. Once he was high enough, Thor dove back towards Malekith and threw the device towards his back. Ada watched in amazement as Thor used Mjölnir to create a whirlwind that hurled Malekith into the ship he'd used, impaling him. Helicopters were beginning to fly all around them as Jane activated the third device.

As quickly as the battle started, it was over. Malekith was gone. Ada's shoulders sagged in relief when she realized that the worst of the battle was over. Though there was still the mess of the portals to deal with, everyone had enough time to relax and figure out what to do from there.

* * *

 **AN: I'm sorry it took me so long to post this update. I've been busy trying to figure out how to work this part of the movie out, but I just sort of lost inspiration towards the end... which might explain why it seems so rushed. At any rate, big thanks to UltimateFan-girl15 and MarvelousMe102 for reviewing! Reviews are always appreciated :)**

 **So, one thing I wanted to do was warn readers that it may take a while for the next few updates to be posted. I'm branching off the movies for a little bit, which means the chapters might be a little shorter (it depends on how much I can squeeze into one chapter without making it too boring). And I've been running edits in some of the earliest chapters. I realize that I left a lot out during the first Iron Man movie, which is partly why I'm going through some of those earlier chapters and editing them.**


	62. Chapter Sixty Two

**AN: I almost forgot to update D: It's been a crazy last few weeks, and I'm still no further ahead than I wanted to be... But, I wanted to post something rather than ignore this story entirely. As far as plot-bunnies are concerned, this is one plot-bunny I've been dying to rewrite. Thanks to all of my readers and especially to those who reviewed; I'm sorry if I never had the chance to respond to reviews, but please be aware that I do appreciate each and every one of them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty Two**

No one wanted to admit that the battle in London had taken a toll on them. Ada leaned against a wall with her arms crossed after she finished packing her suitcase. She knew she was in for an earful when she returned home. Tony had already promised her that there would not only be a grounding, but a scolding for when she got back. Ada nearly rolled her eyes at the thought. Tony always seemed to find some way of annoying her to no end, and this was just one of those methods.

"You sure you don't wanna stay a couple more days?" Darcy asked when she reached the living room. Not only did Tony tell her all of this, but he informed her that Happy was picking her up later that day. The thought left her wishing that she could remind him that she didn't need an escort. "I'm sure that your dad wouldn't mind."

Ada almost laughed at Darcy's statement. She highly doubted Tony would be happy with the idea of her staying longer in London. Experience taught her that he would be angry for the first couple of hours before finding something else to distract himself with. It was easy to distract him with just about anything as long as it held his interest. Ada had quickly learned that technology or talking about the suits would often catch his attention.

The one good thing about Tony Stark was that he didn't stay angry for long. He did hold grudges towards those who threatened his family, but that was purely out of habit. After what had happened in Afghanistan, she couldn't blame him for not trusting too many people, or for holding the grudges he did.

Besides, she had overstayed her welcome as it was. Jane had reluctantly allowed her to stay because Darcy invited her, but she knew her limits. Since Darcy tried contacting SHIELD about the Convergence and their disappearances, she had no doubt that Director Fury would want a word with her. There was still a lot of cleaning up that needed to be done in London, and she had been hoping to avoid the press once they got word of what she had been up to.

The press would have a field day if they found out that she had been in London for the past week. And while she technically was in Asgard for a good three days, she still detested the idea of having to explain why she was there in the first place.

"Thank you for the offer, Darcy," she murmured with a shake of her head. "But with all due respect, I think it's time I went home."

Darcy nearly rolled her eyes and laughed as Ada reached for her suitcase, "I hate to admit it, but I am gonna miss that attitude of yours. We could use someone like you to remind Jane that it's okay to have fun sometimes."

She couldn't hide the sheepish grin that followed as she recalled how the last few hours on Asgard went on. If she was being honest, she knew that she had crossed the line several times. Odin could have and probably should have done something when she snapped at him. Instead, she managed to escape with Thor and Jane while remaining mostly intact. She had to admit, escaping Asgard had been far more satisfying than she expected.

"That's what she has you for, Darcy," she pointed out knowingly. The brunette lifted a brow as they walked down the stairs to the main living area where the others were waiting. "Thanks again for inviting me in the first place… I really did need a wakeup call."

Darcy just beamed at her praise. She was ready to say something else when Ada caught Jane watching them. Selvig stood in the kitchen, and to Ada's surprise, his pants were actually on. Over the last couple of days, he hadn't been wearing his pants since the battle in London ended. Ian was trying to make himself look as scarce as possible while the rest of the group tried to figure out how to move on from that battle.

It would take time for everyone to recover from what had happened since they were both stuck on Asgard. Since Thor hadn't returned, Ada had to wonder what Jane would be doing with herself. He had promised her that he would return to Earth once he cleared his name and the names of everyone involved with Odin. She just hoped that his plan to admit the truth didn't backfire on him, especially after seeing the way Odin acted during their time on Asgard.

"Thank you again, for helping us," Jane gave a curt nod of thanks when their eyes met.

Ada rose an eyebrow as she wondered if there was more she wanted to say. She doubted that things would have turned out any differently if Thor had chosen to stay. The only positive outcome she had of their seeing each other again was that Jane now seemed more open to her. She hadn't realized until than how much of a relief it was to know that.

Once they were finished with their goodbyes, and Ada gave Darcy a much needed hug, she headed out for the door where Happy would be waiting. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed that the car sitting in front of the building wasn't the rental Happy normally used. Instead, the windows were tinted black so that she couldn't see the driver. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that the others were still in the apartment.

 _Call it a hunch, but I don't trust a car that looks like something from one of those CSI shows_ , she thought. She knew that she should have stopped Tony from running a marathon when Pepper suggested they watch the show together as a family. Flames danced along the tips of her fingers when she noticed that the car door finally opened. If whoever had pulled up posed a threat, she was fully prepared for them. When the driver finally emerged from the car, Ada sucked in a breath.

A middle-aged man with cropped brown hair, pale skin and dressed in a tailor-made suit stepped out and smirked upon seeing her. Sunglasses kept her from getting a good look at his eyes, but she noticed the pin settled above his chest.

"You wouldn't happen to be Miss Ada Stark, would you?" The man spoke in a heavy British accent. All at once, her guard went up. Ada only glared back as the man stepped forward, offering a broad smile. "I have been wondering when our paths would finally cross."

"Yeah? Well, you aren't the only bastard who's said that," she muttered crossly.

"Oh, I'm quite certain that I'm not," the man smirked in amusement. "And I'm also certain I won't be the last."

"What the hell do you want with me?" she demanded as she noticed he kept looking in the direction of Jane's apartment.

With Jane and the others staying in the building at the time, she didn't plan on letting them get hurt. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this man's intentions were to do just that. Her gaze swept from where he stood to the car as she tried searching for any signs of weapons he might be harboring. Her SHIELD training taught her not to trust anyone who looked as suspicious as this man did. The problem was, she was out in the public and had no weapons to defend herself with. Other than her powers.

"What the others of our organization want," the man replied with a shrug. Ada's blood ran cold as she finally understood what he was implying. "I was informed by the others that you are aware of who we are, and that you wouldn't come quietly."

Flames appeared along the palms of her hands as Ada took on a defensive stance. She'd already dealt with the Black Knights once, but she hadn't been alone at the time. This man didn't look as if he could put up much of a fight.

' _Do not underestimate them_.' She flinched at the sound of Nadia's voice. ' _They only want you to believe that they are defenseless_.'

A shiver of unease swept through Ada when she felt the man's gaze bore through her. Hearing her mother's voice had been reassuring in the past. But she heard and felt nothing but rage from Nadia. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Nadia's rage was aimed more towards the man in question.

"Are you talking to her?" the man suddenly asked curiously. "Your mother? We've learned more about your people than you could ever imagine. Decades of archives have been passed down from our ancestors. I'm sure that you are dying to know more about _what_ you are."

His words came out in a sneer, and that was all it took for her to finally lash out. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of thinking he'd won her over. The man seemed caught off guard when she swung her fist at him, clipping his face just as he moved to the side with mere seconds to spare.

"You're full of crap if you think I'm going to let you take advantage of me," she snapped.

"And you are full of ignorance if you think I am going to let you leave." Her heart pounded with fear when the man suddenly grabbed hold of her hand, stopping her in her tracks. "We have been watching the news for so long… We were waiting for the right opportunity to strike. You have no backup here. No SHIELD, and no Tony Stark to protect you. I would suggest you stand down before things get out of control."

It took a few seconds for his warning to finally sink in. Hate for the fact that this man worked for the Black Knights suddenly seeped through her. She wanted nothing more than to knock him off his sorry ass and call SHIELD for backup. But she realized that causing a scene wasn't the best option to take. People were wandering nearby, shooting the pair curious and fearful looks. Though they didn't understand the serious danger they were in, she didn't want them getting caught in the crossfire.

"Alright, fine," she finally conceded as the man's grip tightened. "But only if you swear to keep everyone out of the crossfire."

The man smirked in amusement once more at her demand. She shivered when he used his free hand to brush aside a stray strand of hair from her face.

"My dear child, you are the only one we are concerned about. I would not worry about anyone else getting hurt."

 _You're going to regret the day you chose to take me_ , she silently vowed. These people were not going to get away with hunting down her own people. One way or another, they were going to pay for their actions.

…

Tony had begun pacing along the penthouse for what felt like hours now. He knew that worrying was a pointless emotion to feel when Ada was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But the last couple of weeks had really worked on his nerves. From finding out that she and Captain America of all people had feelings for one another, to finding out that she was involved in the London incident, he wasn't sure what was worse.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep this up, Tony," Pepper scolded him when she finally arrived with bags full of groceries. "I know that you're worried about Ada, but she's old enough to take care of herself. Besides, you said Happy was meeting with her at the apartment."

He scowled after reaching the kitchen counter when Pepper placed the bags along them. They didn't necessarily need to restock the kitchen. Pepper just liked going out so that they had a somewhat domestic life outside of their usual work. She'd already begun meal preps for the week, along with dinners that Tony himself appreciated more than he would ever admit out loud.

"That was nearly three hours ago when he called about arriving at the airport," Tony sighed irritably. He ran a hand through his hair as he thought about keeping a tracking device on Ada's phone. Or on her personally. "Maybe I should've installed that tracking device when I had the chance…"

Pepper quickly slapped his hand away when he reached for a bottle of wine she'd picked for dinner. She of all people had seen what he was like in a drunken state. He usually went for alcohol when things didn't go his way, and Pepper had quickly adapted to making sure that it wasn't around during times of crisis. Tonight was one of the rare occasions where they could share a couple of drinks and enjoy dinner before Ada returned home.

"Tony, you of all people know that Ada would have given you hell for doing that," she reminded him pointedly. Tony threw her an apprehensive look. All he wanted was to make sure that she was safe. Was that too much to ask for? "Besides, she has all of SHIELD looking out for her as well."

"That's exactly what worries me," he retorted.

Before Pepper could say something that would reassure him, Jarvis suddenly sent them a high alert.

' _Sir, Mr. Hogan has requested that he speak with you in privacy_.'

Frowning in concern, Tony glanced at Pepper and took his phone without another word. It had to have been serious if Happy of all people needed to reach him. Once he went down the stairs and reached the lab, he made sure the doors were sealed shut before answering Happy's call.

"This is a… serious… Need to come here now!"

Tony just rose an eyebrow after hearing nothing but gibberish for the last few minutes. Happy's frantic words sounded through the speaker, and it took a few seconds for Tony to register that he was standing somewhere outside. The ambient sounds of cars and people talking in the background caused his heart to race a little faster than it should have.

"Happy!" Tony finally had enough and cut him off with a loud shout of his own. "Happy, use your words."

"Tony, she wasn't there at the apartment," Happy managed to say after catching his breath.

That was enough for Tony's eyes to widen in alarm.

"What?"

"She wasn't at Jane's apartment," Happy replied in a firmer voice.

Tony felt his breathing hitch with panic as realization finally dawned on him. Every worst-case scenario played across his mind as he imagined something terrible had happened. Pepper had been right about Ada being able to defend herself. But she wasn't above giving herself up if anyone else was in danger. And that thought left him wishing he'd taken extra precautions before she went on this pointless vacation. He had quickly learned that Ada was the type of person who would willingly do whatever it took to keep everyone safe. It was a quality of her that he himself never pertained, and he knew for a fact that it would one day get her killed.

"Alright, why don't you start from the beginning?" he started after taking a deep breath to calm his already frayed nerves.

"I was at the airport for all but five minutes when I blacked out," Happy finally admitted during a few moments of awkward silence. It was at that point when Tony had stopped his pacing and stared at nothing in particular as his eyes widened in disbelief. "The next time I woke up, security guards were there asking what the hell happened."

"And I'm guessing it was at that moment when you called?" Tony deadpanned with a strained sigh of frustration.

His mind began to spin with the numerous possibilities running through his mind. All he wanted was for Ada to be safe. But it seemed like life was always trying to throw a monkey-wrench into that plan. And knowing that something had likely happened to her just made him feel that much worse. He tried to keep his heart from racing with panic. Knowing that she was in possible danger didn't help matters. If anything had happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

"I don't know what happened, but she wasn't at the apartment by the time I got there," Happy explained in a wary voice. "I talked to Jane and Darcy about it, but neither were sure of what could've happened to her."

He drew in a sharp breath after realizing too late that someone must have taken her. After typing in a few codes to reach the tracking device on her phone, he noticed that it wasn't operating. The tracking device had either been shut off, or she managed to take it off. The latter wouldn't have surprised him, given how determined she was to prove herself otherwise. But he had an uneasy feeling that she wouldn't have done that.

"We need to bring in the team," he grumbled when he realized that this wasn't something that he could do on his own.

He had to grudgingly admit that the team was better suited tracking a missing person if they worked together than apart. He just hoped that they would find her in time. Otherwise there was going to be hell to pay.


	63. Chapter Sixty Three

**Chapter Sixty Three**

For a while, she felt nothing. Darkness wrapped around her like a thick blanket. She couldn't make sense of her surroundings. Then she began hearing voices echoing in the background. A shiver swept through her as she slowly began to regain consciousness.

Slowly, her eyes snapped open to find herself strapped in a chair. Thick white walls surrounded her. It took a few seconds for her to register that she wasn't alone. The room itself was empty aside from her, but she spotted cameras on every corner of the ceiling watching her every move. She knew the moment she was strapped to the chair was when she was in trouble. The restraints that held her down somehow dampened her powers. Though, she suspected that was also due to whatever drugs they had used to knock her out.

 _What sort of place is this_? she wondered warily. When Ada tried looking back at what led her to being trapped in this room in the first place. And all at once, her heart wrenched with dread. She could already tell that the necklace she normally wore had been stripped away. The only connection she had with her mother was gone, and she had no doubt that these people would stoop to lower levels.

After hearing so many horror stories about those who were taken into captivity, she could already imagine what these assholes were going to do to her. The thought left her shivering with unease. She knew in the back of her mind that these assholes weren't going to hold back now that they had their hands on her.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to wake up." Fury swept through Ada when she recognized the voice that cut through the eerie silence. A man who she hadn't seen for nearly four years loomed over her, wearing a smirk that made her wish she could punch it off his face. "I had been hoping that I would get to see your face just as you wake up in this facility."

Her fingers gripped the arms of the chair she was strapped to. Nathaniel Carhall hadn't changed a bit since their last encounter. With graying brown hair that suggested he had aged since they last saw one another, she could tell that time hadn't been kind to him. But that didn't stop him from grinning like someone had won the ultimate prize.

 _Creep_ , was the first thought that ran through her mind.

She wasn't entirely surprised to see him standing there with a wicked grin written across his face. After all, he'd encouraged his son to date her and extract whatever information he could. Ada was suddenly thankful that she never did reveal any deep secrets. Or the fact that she worked for SHIELD. She had little doubt that they would have used that knowledge to their advantage.

"And here I was hoping that you'd dropped off the face of the Earth," she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Nathaniel shook his head in amusement, "I see that you have not changed since our last little spat. Which by the way, left my son in the hospital for three weeks."

"Be thankful I didn't crack his damn skull!" she spat back.

Hatred for what he and Emmett had done suddenly swept through her. She hated knowing that they had dated, and that she had trusted Emmett for as long as she did. The worst part was knowing that he had never felt anything during their time together. His betrayal hit harder than she could have ever admitted out loud. She knew that she had been using her training at SHIELD as an excuse to get away from the emotional turmoil that followed. But that was a poor excuse, and in reality, she wasn't sure if she ever recovered from that incident.

The truth was, she didn't know if she would ever fully recover from what happened. She was beginning to wonder if all men were alike in that aspect. Steve hadn't shown any signs of becoming like Emmett or his father. Yet, that didn't stop the small spark of fear from building as memories of what had happened came rushing back.

"Such harsh words for someone who doesn't believe in killing others," Nathaniel clucked his tongue disapprovingly. She glared back when Nathaniel approached her with confident strides. "If I were you, I would be careful about what I say around these people… some of them are not as kind as I have been."

"Not as kind my ass," she muttered under her breath. "Why choose now of all times to take me? You could've taken any other opportunity to take me."

The older man leaned back after realizing what she was insinuating. They could have easily taken her while she was on the run during her earlier days with SHIELD. But for whatever reason, they always seemed to hold back every time. She should have known that eventually, they would find some way of catching her without alerting the entire agency.

"You were always under some kind of protection," he finally sneered. "While you were at the School for the Gifted, you had Captain America and the mutants protecting you. When you were in Monaco, you were still under SHIELD's protection."

He quirked an eyebrow as if to prove his point, and sudden realization dawned on Ada. Her heart sank as she recalled promising Jane that she would leave SHIELD out of her vacation. She'd promised that she would treat it like a real vacation, leaving behind both her work-life and family-life behind just to spend some time relaxing. These people had been watching her for some time. A shiver of unease swept through her as she realized that they had been biding their time and waiting for the perfect opportunity.

"You were just biding your time," she guessed.

Nathaniel gave a nod and finally straightened up. He wasn't above punishing her like so many of his men had done with her kind. But they did want her alive. She knew that she would have been killed long before this moment if that wasn't the case. For whatever reason, these people needed her. That thought alone left her mind churning with fury. Whatever these bastards were planning to do with her, they weren't going to win. Not when she had so much at stake.

"We were biding our time for the perfect opportunity," he replied in a humored tone. "I must admit, you are an easier target when we put the lives of those you care about at stake. With such a fiery spirit burning within you, I can only imagine how long it will take to break you."

 _It's going to take more than just a verbal threat for you to break me_ , she silently spat back. She had watched her mother and countless other victims die at their hands. If these people thought they were going to get away with those crimes, they were dead wrong. She planned on doing whatever it took to make sure the same thing didn't happen to her. Or to anyone else who met a similar fate. Whatever reasoning the Black Knights had behind hurting her people and others before them, they deserved to suffer whatever punishment they were delivered.

"Do your worst," she practically growled out the words when Nathaniel's eyes refused to waver under her piercing glare.

The older man chuckled in amusement at the threatening tone of her voice. He could see the fiery spark within her eyes that would eventually dim. It was a pity to see such a burning spirit go to waste, but he had his orders. The Black Knights had been waiting for generations to finish off the last of her kind, and here they had the perfect opportunity to do so.

"We plan to, Miss Stark."

…

It had taken a few hours for everyone to receive the word that something happened to one of their teammates. When Tony sent the message-wide alert, he half-expected everyone to take their time. But their reactions happened faster than he could have dreamed. The Tower was ready for whatever visitors would arrive through those doors. He had been pacing around the penthouse while trying to figure out how to go about finding Ada. When Happy finally returned from his trip to London to retrieve her, he sustained minor injuries to the head from when he had been knocked out.

 _I should have known this would happen_ , was the only thought running through his mind at the moment. He should have known that the Black Knights would use whatever advantage they had over the team. He didn't doubt they were the ones responsible for Ada's disappearance, and for Happy suffering from minor injuries. After hearing all of the stories that Ada had to share about them, and the stories that he was able to look up on the organization, he had been dreading the day when this would happen.

' _Sir, Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff have arrived_ ,' Jarvis suddenly warned him through the com. ' _Agent Barton is on his way, along with Doctor Banner_.'

Tony paused in his pacing, briefly wondering what he would tell the team once they arrived. He'd only given small details on why they needed to be there in the first place. The only message that he had sent them was an SOS revolving around Ada. Swallowing hard, he gave a reluctant nod and stopped at the kitchen counter where Pepper was sitting. She had been watching him for the last two hours now. Her face was impossible to read as realization finally dawned on her that Ada was missing. She never felt more helpless than at that moment.

"Let them up," he informed the AI.

Once he swiped a panel on the kitchen counter that revealed the security footage in the front of the Tower, Tony let out a heavy sigh. He had been hoping to have more time trying to regain his composure. He was already anxious enough knowing that something terrible had happened to Ada. Her disappearance and the lack of responses he received from her tracking device told him that something was wrong.

Sure enough, Steve was there along with Romanoff. Both looked unhappy with the recent news, though he had a feeling they were even less happy having to return to the Tower. He couldn't do this alone. Even with Rhodes' help along with the entire army and whole of SHIELD, he wouldn't be able to find her. The tracking device he planted on her had suddenly stopped working, which told him that the Black Knights had known about it.

What irritated him more than anything was the fact that they had discovered her tracking device. Even if SHIELD had tweaked with it a little, that didn't mean they wouldn't find it. Tony had no doubt in the back of his mind that this was their way of keeping her for as long as they could.

Steve was the first to reach the penthouse, with Natasha close behind.

"Clint got stuck behind some traffic while picking up Bruce," Natasha explained when Tony threw her a quizzical look. "Do you wanna explain to us what happened?"

Tony let out an intake of air as he studied nothing in particular. He caught Steve looking at him warily. He hadn't specified _who_ was taken. The truth was, he had been waiting to see how Steve of all people would react to this latest news. He knew how close the man had been getting with Ada. And that in itself was enough to leave him wishing he'd put a leash between them.

"Ada's been taken," he finally replied.

He watched Natasha's normally neutral face morph into a look of surprise. Even Steve looked at Tony in disbelief as realization dawned on them. Ada's sudden disappearance had left his mind churning with anxiety as he tried figuring out the best way to tackle the problem at hand.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked, frowning at the possibility that she was gone.

At least he had the audacity to actually look genuinely concerned. Though he managed to maintain his composure much like Natasha. Tony wasn't sure what was more irritated. The fact that Steve had taken it so well, or the fact that he was somewhat concerned over Ada's safety.

"Happy was supposed to be at Jane Foster's apartment one day ago to pick her up," he explained through gritted teeth, hating the fact that he needed to explain everything all over again, "When he got to the airport, he was ambushed and got knocked out. By the time he finally reached Jane's apartment, she was gone."

"What about the tracking device?" Natasha quipped.

Like usual, her expression returned to its neutral position. Not that that surprised Tony. Natasha was one of those people who he never got a good read on. Not for the first time, he found himself wondering how she and Ada were capable of working together so well when they were complete opposites. Then again, he'd heard plenty of stories about how she 'got along' so well with Barton.

"The tracking device was taken off as soon as Happy called me," he replied without missing a beat.

Which irritated him more than he cared to admit out loud. It would have saved him from having to call in the entire team, along with the grueling effort of finding out where the Black Knights were currently hiding. Jarvis was able to track down several locations where they could be hiding. Narrowing down the search was going to be easier said than done.

"You don't think she's left the city," Steve suddenly spoke up.

Tony looked in Natasha's direction as she pursed her lips together in thought, "They would have had to transfer vehicles or planes in order to leave the city. I'm willing to bet that if we narrow down the search panel, there's going to be a location in or outside of London we can search."

"I've had Jarvis track down some of their locations after Eye-patch told us about them," he explained after heading for the counter once more. He typed in a few codes, relieved to find the locations hadn't changed since his last search. "We've got one facility not far from the city, and one that's within the city itself."

"I'll contact SHIELD to warn the boss," Natasha added once it became clear what their next plan of action was.

Tony's shoulders sagged in relief once they finally had a couple of locations in mind. He knew that finding her would have been like looking for a needle in the haystack. Fortunately, Natasha was right about them not getting too far.

They had the resources to find Ada's location before the assholes could get any further than outside of London. Tony was more concerned about what state she would be in when they did find her. There was no telling what the Black Knights would do to Ada once they had their hands on her.

"We'll find her, Tony," Steve reassured him.

"I know we will," Tony replied without hesitation.

He was determined to find Ada. After everything they had been through, he didn't plan on letting anything happen to her.

* * *

 **AN: Finally got this all typed up. I'll admit, it was difficult rewriting these next couple of chapters. Mostly because I had to start from scratch with them. I looked through my original chapters and realized just how cringe-worthy they were. And I hated every bit of them. So hopefully this version is better than the original ever was. Thanks to PixieHex1585 for reviewing!**


	64. Chapter Sixty Four

**Chapter Sixty Four**

Shivers of dread swept through Ada as she fell in and out of consciousness. When those moments occurred the first couple of times, she had a small idea of what was happening to her. While her mind was unconscious, she could still feel the people in the facility moving around her. She hated not being able to defend herself from the assholes that had taken her hostage. They were running experiments on her, taking blood samples and using whatever methods they could to determine whether she was a potential threat.

She knew it was just a ploy for them to continue torturing her with whatever methods they deemed reasonable. They had injected a drug of some sort that compromised her healing ability. Whatever pain they inflicted would last longer than she had hoped. It took everything she had not to cry out in pain as they continued their 'experiments'. The worst was when they left her alone in a room for what felt like hours in the dark, just waiting to see how she would react to it.

The fact that she hadn't cracked under the pressure was what annoyed them more than anything else. She had no doubt they had been hoping she would crack sooner. The scientists that had been running experiments on her were trying to extract information on SHIELD, and any other secrets she might be hiding.

"I must admit, she has lasted longer than most of the ones we managed to capture alive," she heard one of the scientists mutter. Their movement shuffled around her as they arrived at the room she was being kept in. "Most of the others either succumbed to their injuries, or cracked under the pressure. She has yet to do either."

 _Of course they were doing this to others_ , she thought bitterly. Her fists clenched as she realized that these assholes had taken those born with powers captive just to see what worked and what didn't work. What horrified her more than anything was what happened to said captives after they were finished with their tests. The sad thing was, she wondered how many of those who were taken had families that had been looking for them. Or if anyone had cared about them at all.

The sudden realization of just how lucky she was to have a family that cared for her only dawned on her. She swallowed hard at the thought, knowing that her life could have turned out worse if Tony had never chosen to adopt her. And while it had been SHIELD's ploy to convince him into adopting her, he still accepted it nonetheless. He'd taken the risk of taking in someone he barely knew, and he always told her it was one of the best choices he could have made.

"Then perhaps it is time we moved to a more severe method." Ada's eyes snapped open, narrowing with hate when she recognized Nathaniel's voice. Sure enough, she spotted the older man standing next to one of the lab-coat dressed scientists. "The tests have proven that her kind are capable of surviving for generations unless we exterminate them all."

 _I'm not going to let you hurt or kill anyone else_ , she retorted silently. Her throat felt raw from a lack of water. She wasn't sure how long she had been trapped in that room. The only thing she was sure of was that she wouldn't let these assholes get away with what they were doing. She was suddenly thankful that SHIELD had prepared her for moments like these. As much as she hated to admit it, that sort of training had come in handy. Her body was more than capable of taking whatever the world threw at her, but she could only handle said throws for so long.

"Agreed," the scientist nodded in agreement. She didn't miss the cruel smirk that followed as he reached for a syringe he had been hiding in the cart he pushed with him. She had quickly learned that these scientists liked to carry whatever tools they could for their various methods of torture. This one preferred using the syringe, injecting drugs to keep her powers from overwhelming her. "This won't hurt a bit."

"Yeah, I'm willing to bet that you're as thickheaded as your lie," she snapped through gritted teeth.

Nathaniel rose an eyebrow in amusement as the scientist moved forward and pressed the tip of the needle into her arm. Fury swept through her the moment she felt her pulse spike at the sudden intrusion of whatever drugs they injected. The room around her had already begun to spin wildly, with Nathaniel's face the only thing standing straight at the moment. Her hands balled into fists as she struggled to keep herself from crying out from the intense pressure she felt in the back of her head.

"We have never lied to you, my dear child," he sneered. Ada narrowed her eyes with hate when Nathaniel moved forward carefully, grabbing hold of her chin to force her into making eye contact with him. "These tests are a way to ensure that your kind will not survive with you out of the way."

"And what are you going to do with yourselves when all of my kind is destroyed?" she asked warily. It seemed that the very survival of her people was the only reason the Black Knights had remained for so long. Their sheer determination to destroy what was left of the Aliquid had given them purpose. "You'd actually have to get a life instead of trying to hurt innocent people."

That didn't deter Nathaniel from allowing his scientist to inject another drug. This one was worse than the last. Ada's eyes began dilating in and out of focus. Her heart had begun racing as images flashed across her mind. Most of them were of the people she could have considered family. Nadia. Her mother's face was impossible to read. The only emotion she could read was rage. With Nathaniel standing so close by, Ada suddenly understood what these assholes were trying to do.

 _They're trying to see just how angry I can get without my powers_ , she realized. Even with the drugs that had subdued her powers temporarily, she could still feel the overwhelming urge to unleash them upon the assholes that had placed her in that position. She almost wished she could unleash her fury upon them. It would have been easier for her to escape from whatever treatment they put her through next. But she also realized just how dangerous and risky allowing her powers to lose control would be. Knowing that much left her feeling more determined than ever not to lose control.

Eventually, the images began to replace themselves. Ada's head was beginning to throb when she found herself still strapped to the chair in the same room from before. Nathaniel was standing not far from where she sat with his arms crossed, a smug look written across his face. The scientist tsked his tongue after realizing that the drug had worn off so quickly. It was clear that the drugs they were using had some effect on her system. They dulled her healing abilities, making it possible for them to inflict whatever amount of pain they dubbed worthy.

"I'm going to have to use a higher dosage if we want this to work in our favor," he sighed in frustration.

"Don't worry," Nathaniel replied without missing a beat. He glanced at the scientist with an approving look, "Your work has made substantial progress for our research. The others will soon come along with their results."

Ada watched through narrowed eyes when the scientist gave a gruff nod and left without another word. Nathaniel's statement was enough to make her wonder just what kind of 'research' they _were_ running on her. She'd been putting up with these experiments long enough to guess that they were willing to do whatever it took to get the results they wanted.

After all, she was the last of her kind according to the assholes in question. If they had been responsible for killing off all of her people, it made sense that they wanted to keep _someone_ alive. The more knowledge they had on alien beings, the better prepared they would be if more decided to show up.

"You know, I'm beginning to realize that maybe the only reason you're keeping me alive is to give you some satisfaction that you're hurting someone," she half-mumbled under her breath.

Her body felt weak from whatever drugs they'd injected her with. She knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer against them. They kept claiming that her body was able to eject whatever they inflicted upon her. Their claims left her wondering how long she would continue fighting those drugs. There was only so much that her body could take before she finally lost control. And that was exactly what they wanted.

The glee written across his face was enough for her to wish she could punch it off. Anything was better than giving them the satisfaction of knowing that their plans were working.

"Perhaps if you were more willing to comply with us and share information about SHIELD, we would make the pain a bit more bearable," Nathaniel suddenly sneered. "After all, you have been working for SHIELD for quite some time now."

"I think I'd rather retain what little dignity I have left," Ada retorted after realizing what he was planning.

The last thing she planned to do was give away sensitive information. These assholes were dangerous enough as it was. Nathaniel wasn't the least bit put off with the glare she threw him. If anything, he only seemed to find it that much more amusing that she was willing to suffer the consequences for refusing to speak.

"We shall see how long that loyalty of yours will last, my dear child."

…

The search for Ada had begun to spread across the city of London and beyond. Since there were three possible locations, the team split up into said separate areas. Tony struggled to remain calm throughout the ordeal. Despite Pepper's reassurance that they would find her, he was beginning to doubt himself and his abilities to lead an entire search party. Even with a team of fully trained heroes, they hadn't been able to find her location.

The problem was, when they finally reached one of the areas where the Black Knights could be hiding, the warehouses were usually emptied out by the time they arrived. They didn't have much of a lead to go by. Tony tried looking for a tracking device or any pattern to go make their search somewhat tolerable.

"I hate this," he admitted as they scoured the perimeter of what looked like a normal building. Steve wasn't far behind with Natasha rounding the corner. All three of them had been searching the area for signs of life since Tony finally found a promising signal on the radar. "Not knowing whether or not we'll find her."

"We'll find her, Tony," Steve reassured him just as Natasha reached the edge of the building.

"Besides, she's strong enough to take care of herself," Natasha put in.

Tony tried to feel reassured by that notion. When he first found out about Ada through SHIELD, he knew that she was different from the rest of the world. Though he didn't realize at the time that SHIELD was the agency responsible for bringing them together, he'd agreed fullheartedly that she needed a strong father-figure in her life. Adopting Ada had been one of the best decisions he could have made. She changed the way he looked at life in more ways than one.

' _Sir, Agent Barton is on the other line_ ,' Jarvis suddenly alerted him.

"Put him on the com."

He knew that the team needed to stay in touch with one another while on their search.

"Western area was empty." Tony had to bite his tongue to keep himself from cursing at Clint's report. He had been hoping that they would find at least _something_. Even Bruce had joined them on their search, knowing that they would need every able body possible. At this point, she could be out of the country. "Banner found something promising though."

He wasn't sure whether he should feel relieved or worried that they managed to find _something_. It was better than having no leads at all, and so far, that hadn't been getting them anywhere. Once he was sure Natasha and Steve got the news, they regrouped by the quinjet. They had taken the quinjet mostly to provide a faster method of transportation. Tony had already talked about building a jet of his own that was sleeker and better suited for the team's traveling plans.

Once everyone finally regrouped by the quinjet, Tony landed beside them and stepped out of the suit to get a better view of whatever Clint was holding. He frowned upon seeing what the object in question was. Ada's phone. She normally kept it with her at all times; and if that didn't work, she used the earpiece that she designed herself to keep in contact with everyone else. Tony's frown deepened when he realized that something serious must have happened to her if she'd dropped it.

"There's a chance we might be able to track her down through the earpiece she has," Natasha explained when she finally saw the phone in question. Her eyes lit up with something Tony rarely saw in the redheaded assassin – hope. "Director Fury linked a tracking device from her phone onto the earpiece when she first joined SHIELD as a security measure."

"My own tech wasn't able to track her down," he admitted grudgingly.

The people who took her – he had no doubt that they were the Black Knights – had known to kill any chances they had at tracking her down. Tony had literally tried everything in his damned power to track her down before he lost her entirely. But by now, it was too late. They'd lost valuable time as it was. There was no telling what could have happened to her during the time it took for them to search for her.

That was what left him feeling both worried and terrified the most. After everything she had been through, the last thing they needed was this mess. And he had a feeling it was only going to get worse if they didn't stop the Black Knights.

"Your tech isn't like SHIELD's though," Clint had the nerve to point out. Tony nearly rolled his eyes when the archer crossed his arms and exchanged a knowing look with Natasha. "With a bit of help, we should be able to track her down within a few hours."

"I beg to differ," he grumbled under his breath.

"Tony," Bruce threw him a warning look, knowing that arguing wouldn't get the team anywhere in their search. He had been reluctant about tagging along with the team in the first place. The only reason he agreed to go was because he cared too much about Ada not to go. "We're not going to find her by just sitting around here and arguing."

Tony held back a sigh of frustration as he heard the logic in the doctor's explanation. He knew that Bruce was right about wasting more time standing around the empty building. His scanners hadn't picked up any signs of life, telling him that the location was a dud. After giving it some thought, he finally reluctantly agreed that letting SHIELD have a handle on the situation was better than doing nothing at all.

* * *

 **AN: New chapter is up. Hopefully the second part isn't too boring. To be honest, this was a terrible arch when I first wrote it nearly five years ago. As a result, it's been difficult rewriting it. But I am having fun trying to figure out where to go forward with it :) At any rate, big thanks to Heh303 and Guest for reviewing!**


	65. Chapter Sixty Five

**Chapter Sixty Five**

She had lost track time of how long she was stuck in that room. The scientists would inject her with a serum that knocked her out. When she woke up, she found herself in another room where other men would commit acts of torture that would pry information out of her. All the while, Ada managed to keep herself from spilling any secrets. Her whole body had begun to burn and ache from their treatment. Since the scientists injected her with their drugs, they compromised her healing abilities. Her back was covered in scars from where they had lashed out at her. Her legs hurt from standing for so long that they would simply give out on her.

The only thing she did know was that she had been in the facility long enough for them to torture her. She was there long enough to realize that she was on her own. The only consolation she had was that she had been trained to deal with whatever the world threw at her. She knew she wouldn't have lasted as long as she had if it wasn't for her SHIELD training.

The drugs they had used on her had dulled her healing abilities, which meant that they could inflict whatever injuries they wanted on her, and they would scar over. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought of going through this alone. She'd heard enough horror stories of SHIELD agents who were captured and suffered from their captivity. Most of them hadn't survived their ordeals, and others ended up betraying the agency.

Ada began wandering aimlessly down what appeared to be an empty hall. Her mind felt incredibly foggy as she tried to recall how she ended up there in the first place. The last thing she could remember was blacking out after those assholes had cut marks into her wrists before they injected another drug. The pain she felt from those cuts had been nothing compared to the dull throbbing in the back of her head. It felt like a horrible hangover that refused to go away.

She tried casting whatever doubts clouded her mind at the moment.

The dim walls that surrounded her were tall and imposing. It seemed that there was no end to the path that loomed ahead. Ada narrowed her eyes as she continued walking forward. Her movement was slow enough to begin with, but the pain caused from standing for so long only made it that much worse.

She hated it. She hated everything about this damned place and what these people were doing. The only reason they had kept her alive for as long as they did was because they wanted to study her. Like she was some kind of subject that needed to be tested before they had enough of her.

 _And here I thought that day would never come_ , she thought bitterly. SHIELD used to run several tests to see the extent of her powers and whether or not she was a threat. But in the end, Director Fury had finally convinced the Council that she wasn't. It had taken time for them to realize that she didn't plan on hurting anyone unless it was necessary. And even then, she lived with the guilt of what she had done to Emmett and countless others, even when they deserved it.

Swallowing hard, Ada blinked a few times when she noticed a dim light glowing in the darkness. It was only a few feet in front of her, but it seemed far enough away that she wasn't in any hurry to follow it. Yet, something urged her to move forward.

It was painfully slow trying to reach the light in question. As she got closer, it seemed to glow brighter with each passing second. By the time she finally reached the source of the light, it was nearly blinding. She had to squint her eyes in order to see what the object was.

Ada frowned when she noticed that it was a stone-like object. The stone itself was tiny, small enough to be a pebble. What really caught her attention was the strange energy pulse it seemed to give off. Her heart was racing when she slowly reached out. The space around the stone was distorted. When she did reach out, it suddenly stopped glowing. Confusion swept through her the moment the stone stopped hovering and landed into her hand.

A shiver swept through her when the space around her suddenly returned to normal. Once the stone stopped glowing, it was as if that had triggered an alarm. Seconds later, and the room around her slowly began to change.

By the time she finally began to register that a sharp pain was digging into her neck, the hallway was replaced with an all-too-familiar room. Ada bit back a groan when she suddenly found herself back in the room where those scientists had been running their experiments. The pain was from a needle syringe they pierced her skin with, along with whatever drug was inside.

"I was wondering if you would finally wake up." Ada glared at the first scientist that spoke up. The cruel smirk written across his face only aggravated her further. She desperately wished there was a way out of her restraints – the problem was, she wasn't even sure if she could fight back once she was free. Whatever drug they used had left her feeling helplessly powerless, and she hated every second of it. "You certainly have quite a burning spirit within you… unlike the others before you. It is a shame that they couldn't survive whatever drugs we injected into their system. They made fine experiments."

Ada only glared at the man when she realized what he was implying.

 _They've taken more of my kind_? she wondered. Her mind was already beginning to churn with anxiety as she wondered how many others had suffered before her. She could only imagine what sort of horrors they had faced before meeting their cruel demise. The worst part was, these assholes were only justifying a reason for her people to hate them.

"So that's the only reason you've kept me alive?" she asked. She struggled to swallow the lump forming in her throat when the scientist threw her an icy glare. "To experiment on me and make sure there aren't any others?"

The scientist chuckled and shook his head dismissively, "We have made it perfectly clear that you are the last of your kind. But… it would be such a waste to miss out on the opportunity you have presented us. I have been curious as to where your powers come from, and how your mother was able to communicate with you."

It took everything she had not to spit at the asshole's face when he mentioned her mother. Ada knew full well that doing so wouldn't get her anywhere. The scientist was fully prepared to do whatever it took to inflict any damage he could, and to make her life a living hell.

She needed to remind herself to thank SHIELD for preparing her for moments like these. All of the training she had received was paying off so far. And that only seemed to fuel their frustration. She knew the longer she held out in giving information or adding to the satisfaction of showing pain, the worse their treatment would get.

"I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep this world safe from the likes of _your_ kind," the scientist sneered back. A shiver of anger swept through her when she caught the steely-eyed look the scientist was giving her when he reached for an iPad. "People who are born with the kind of powers that yours are born with do not belong in this world. And once we figure out how to dispose of your kind properly, we can finish the job with the mutants and other enhanced beings."

For the first time since finding out about the Black Knights, realization finally dawned on Ada. It wasn't just her people these assholes planned on eradicating. Her heart sank as she thought of the countless innocent mutants who had been hunted down just for being different. Some learned how to hide their abilities, but there were others who simply couldn't hide what they were, and because of that, they were often mistreated.

"You're not going to get away with this bullshit," she spat.

"We already have," he retorted while shaking his head in mock disgust, "And we shall continue for years to come, until the world is safe from those with powers."

…

The search felt as if it had lasted for weeks, when in reality, it was only a few hours. The team dispersed into smaller groups once more to see if they could find any leads regarding the Black Knights. Few people knew about the organization that was hell-bent on destroying anyone with enhanced powers, or those who weren't from this world. Those who did know about the organization were usually so terrified to speak out that they simply refused to talk.

"It's like looking for a needle in the haystack," Clint sighed irritably through the earpiece.

By now, everyone was getting wary from spending so long looking in the same place. The search had finally begun to disperse in wider areas. The longer it took for them to look for her, the worse condition she was going to be in once they did find her. That thought alone was enough for Tony to put on an extra burst of determination in his search. He wasn't going to let whoever took Ada get away with hurting her. Not after everything they'd been through already.

"I've got a lead."

Tony's heart nearly skipped a beat when Natasha made that announcement. A lead was better than going blindly into something that could end in miserable failure. Especially since SHIELD had next to nothing in their database.

"What've you got?" Steve asked warily.

"They have a stronghold in a small town outside Winchester," the redhead explained. "An officer reported seeing a large convey of trucks headed towards a large warehouse that had been abandoned until a few years ago."

For the first time since they started what felt like a helpless search, Tony felt a small spark of hope. It wasn't much to go by, but if the Black Knights were keeping a stronghold in Winchester, it wasn't too far from their location. It also meant that Ada had to be there.

"We need to regroup outside the city," he sighed in relief.

The others looked at him skeptically when Jarvis suddenly sent him an alert, ' _Sir, I've picked up an unusually high energy level reading within Winchester_.'

All of them looked at one another in surprise when he had Jarvis repeat that out loud. If his theory about Ada's powers were true, than it was possible she was the one giving off those energy readings. Either way, they had something to go by. And Tony was more determined now than ever to find the assholes responsible for this mess.

…

"The readings we've received are quite remarkable," one of the scientists muttered while looking at the scans sitting next to her. Ada had to bite back a nasty retort while trying to ignore the steady pain that ran down her arms and legs. Whatever drugs they'd injected her with were causing a massive amount of energy to surge through her. Though she couldn't use her powers, she could tell that they were threatening to overwhelm her. The scientist had smirked with cruel amusement as he watched her struggle against the restraints holding her down. She hated feeling so helpless against the asshole in question. "Not only were you able to surpass our most potent drug, but it seems they've given you a boost in energy. Most people would be dead by now… including your own kind."

"Just be thankful I don't have the energy to throttle you, asshole," she snapped without missing a beat.

The scientist merely tsked his tongue while feigning hurt. She knew damn well that the scientist wouldn't hesitate to kill her if he was given the order. The only reason they had kept her alive for this long was because they felt like it. And that annoyed her more than anything else. She would have rather died right away than suffer at their hands.

"I am impressed with how much spirit you have, considering how often we've tried to break you," he shook his head in grim amusement. "Today, that all ends."

Ada narrowed her eyes with hate as the scientist reached for a syringe sitting on his desk. She didn't miss the look of glee dancing within his eyes. He enjoyed every minute of this, especially since he knew she didn't have the power or the ability to fight back. Yet, at least. The moment she felt those drugs wear off was when she would find some way of kicking their asses. These bastards were going to pay for everything they had done.

She was ready to spit something else when she noticed something in her pocket was glowing. The scientist hardly had time to react as a sudden surge of energy split the air. The energy surge was powerful enough that it sent the scientist in question flying into a wall, hitting the cold cement with a sickening crack. Ada winced at the sound, knowing full-well that a throw that forceful could easily kill someone. She didn't have time to dwell on it though as the glowing suddenly intensified.

Her heart raced with dread when she tried reaching for the object in question. Because her hands were still strapped to the exam table, she could hardly move them. Instead, Ada was forced to watch as the object glowed brightly enough that it nearly blinded her. The second she closed her eyes was when she felt an odd sensation.

A shiver of unease swept through Ada when she opened her eyes again, only to find herself in an unfamiliar hallway. Ada blinked a few times as she tried to get her bearings. She could hear shouting in the background as an alarm went off, telling her that she was still somewhere in their base. Shaking her head at the thought, she carefully felt around her pocket for whatever had been glowing. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she noticed that it was the same stone fragment she had seen in her dreams.

 _How the hell did I end up getting this thing_? she wondered. As far as she was concerned, that had only been a dream. But the stone had obviously been in her pocket, or else she wouldn't be able to feel it. Stranger still was the fact that it seemed to be the source of the glowing in her pocket. She could feel the raw energy pulsating from the stone, but it was already beginning to dim. Whatever had caused that source of energy, she silently thanked it.

The restraints were no longer holding her down, and that gave her the perfect opportunity to find her belongings. The Black Knights couldn't have been keeping her necklace or her phone far. Anything else could easily be replaced since she just brought clothing with her, but the necklace had been her main priority.

 _It's the only connection I have with my mother_ , she reminded herself silently as she ran down the hall. Any Knight that came across her soon learned the hard way that she wasn't an easy target, even without her powers. All the training Natasha and Clint had given her was kicking in as she resorted to self-defense. _Good thing I know I can rely on more than just my powers_.

She frowned when she finally reached a pair of double-doors that were more secured than the others. In a split second, she realized that was where they were keeping her necklace. She knew that they had been trying to run research on it. The scientists had been talking about trying to figure out how her mother was able to communicate with her, even though she had was long dead. Her mother had already tried explaining the process, but even that wasn't much to go by.

Ada inspected the security system warily. It looked easy enough to hack into. But she knew that she would need a pass key to get through. That meant finding a Black Knight who was carrying said key. And she realized with a start that that task was easier said than done.

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere, Miss Stark." Ada stiffened at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice. She whirled around in time to see a familiar looking young man standing behind her. Her eyes narrowed with fury as he smirked in amusement. "I would have thought that you would be happy to see me. After all, it's been so long since we've last spoken to one another."

"Fuck off," she shouted back.

Emmett's mouth twisted in the beginning of a wide grin. Despite the damage she had caused during her attack nearly four years ago, he looked better than she expected. She had to guess that surgery had done him wonders, despite the amount that must have cost him and his father.

"I was rather hoping for a better response than that," he shook his head in disappointment. The mocking of his tone was what really made her blood boil with rage. "When my father told me that they were bringing you in, I was looking forward to getting the chance to talk. Especially after we left under such unfortunate circumstances."

"You mean after the way you decided to betray me and I nearly cracked your skull?" she retorted. Her hands balled into fists as Emmett merely cocked his head to one side. "I haven't quite gotten over the fact that you were a complete asshole who broke my heart."

 _Along with numerous other accounts I'm not going to mention out loud_ , she added silently.

"Yes… that was a rather unfortunate setback," he admitted with a shrug. "But I've long-since realized that my father has been right about your people all this time. You would be rather surprised and disturbed at what we have discovered through that necklace of yours. Your people are quite infamous for destroying entire villages for the sake of bloodshed. And I have no doubt you will share similar qualities to that of your tyrant mother."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when he suddenly reached for something in his pocket. She instinctively tried raising her fists in self-defense when Emmett lifted a golden chain from his pocket, revealing her mother's necklace.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded when he slowly approached her.

"Something that should have been done long ago," he replied, his voice dropping to a whisper when he closed the distance between them. Before Ada could make sense of that, he suddenly grabbed hold of her wrists to keep her from lashing out. She stood frozen on the spot as he returned the necklace, his smirk never fading. What he did after that sent her over the edge. "I'm going to expose you to the world, and show everyone that you truly are a monster."

* * *

 **AN: So in case anyone hasn't figured it out yet, the stone fragment she found will be explained later on. Though I have a feeling that if anyone is reading this, they'll be able to figure out what it is, and what this means for future chapters ;) At any rate, hopefully this wasn't too rushed. I am planning on writing a series of one-shots revolving around Ada and her early SHIELD days, along with interactions between her and everyone mentioned in this story. I'm hoping to get it posted by the end of August at the very earliest. I also wanted to thank Rowena Moose for reviewing! Remember, reviews help motivate me to keep writing!**

 **Rowena Moose - We'll see what happens in the next chapter...**


	66. Chapter Sixty Six

**Chapter Sixty Six**

It had all but taken a few seconds for his words to sink in. She could already feel her mother's wrath from when they had taken the necklace off in the first place. The same scientists that had been experimenting on her had been running the same experiments on the necklace itself. They wanted to see what sort of energy it contained, and how Nadia was capable of communicating with her. Her fists clenched with rage at the thought of what they had done. Not only to her, but to her people as well.

The Black Knights were a terrible organization that viewed anyone with powers as nothing more than a dangerous individual. Ada had quickly learned over time that not everyone with powers was a danger to the world. Some people wanted to eek out a living in the cruel world they were born to. Others wanted to help people with their powers, much like herself. She knew in the back of her mind that people like the Black Knights couldn't be convinced otherwise. But hurting those with powers, to the point of killing them, was wrong.

Her shoulders were trembling as she felt any ounce of control slip away. Nadia's mind was already beyond recognition after what the Black Knights had done to her family. Her mother was hellbent on tearing the compound apart. Nadia planned on destroying what the Black Knights had created, and anyone who stood in her way. The thought left Ada trembling with fear and dread as she realized too late what was happening.

By now, Emmett had stepped back with a wide smirk as he saw his work unfold. Even he had no idea what sort of monster he'd unleashed. His triumphant smirk quickly faded when he saw the fury dancing across her eyes when she glared daggers at him. She almost smirked herself when she felt a pool of energy flood through her. The powers that had long-since remained dormant were slowly returning at full-force. He and the rest of his people were about to discover why she had to maintain control over her emotions.

Nadia glared at Emmett as she allowed a wave of energy to release itself from the palm of her hands. He wasn't given the chance to escape her wrath when he suddenly flew into a wall from the shockwave of her attack. The walls around her had already begun to crumble from the powerful force. Once she was certain that Emmett wouldn't return, she turned her attention to the guards and scientists rushing around her for protection. They were only just beginning to realize the mistake they made in allowing her to live.

"This is the kind of power we have dreamed of containing for ourselves!" Hatred for Nathaniel and everything he stood for suddenly surged through her when he shouted that. Nadia whirled around in time to see him standing outside one of the labs with the door wide open. She had been hearing everything they said during her time locked away in the containment field they used to surround the necklace. The worst part was, he and the others had been trying to figure out how to harness her power and use it against the world. They were hypocrites at the very least. "Imagine what would happen if we unleashed your powers against the world?"

"They along with the rest of your followers deserve to burn at my hands," Nadia spat back. Her voice trembled with emotions as she glared at him coldly. Nathaniel finally seemed to register what she was implying when she said the rest of his followers. "This world has done nothing but stand by and watch as your kind slaughtered my people!"

"Then by all means, please destroy the world," Nathaniel replied after recovering from his initial shock. Nadia narrowed her eyes as she wondered where he was getting at with his statement. She knew she was fully capable of doing just that. The people of this world wouldn't have cared if she tore this compound and anyone within apart. "What have we to gain from your destructive nature? The world will never accept your daughter after this."

That was enough to stop Nadia in her tracks. She froze at the mention of her daughter. She made so many sacrifices to keep the last of their people alive. Ada had been everything to her. And she was destroying what little chance Ada had at surviving this cruel world. Her fists clenched as realization finally dawned on her. If she managed to destroy this compound and everyone within it, they would only see her daughter as nothing more than a monster. And she knew that she couldn't convince Ada of how much these people deserved their own demise.

A small part of her mind was already aware of the weapons that some of the guards had arrived with when Nathaniel began making a breakthrough. But the moment was shattered when they all heard an alarm go off. Nathaniel flinched when she fired a blast of energy in his direction, and in the direction of the guards that tried subduing her. Any chances he had at calming her down had been destroyed the security alarm went off.

…

To everyone's surprise, the compound was already a mess when they showed up. Tony frowned at the sight as he flew from one hall to the next. The walls looked as if they were about to cave in. Cracks could be made out as the foundation began to give in. The energy source from earlier seemed to diminish, and he suspected that had something to do with Ada. Whatever thoughts had clouded his mind were suddenly pushed aside as worry clouded them.

Anything could have happened to Ada at that point. It had been only a few days since they began searching for her, but anyone could have taken advantage of her at that point. The thought sent a shiver of rage through him. If the assholes had done anything to hurt her, he wasn't going to forgive himself. Especially since she hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment. All she ever tried doing was helping people, even at the expense of her safety.

"The energy level came from this location," he huffed after landing when another piece of cement hit the top of his suit.

The others had split off into different locations, with Bruce waiting outside until they needed him. Or the Hulk. Tony was hoping to avoid using the big green guy unless it was absolutely necessary, and Bruce had agreed with him fullheartedly on that notion. The compound had already suffered serious damage as it was. The Hulk would more than likely tear down the compound if he saw what the Black Knights had done, or he would cause worse destruction.

"Yeah… there might be a reason for that."

Tony stiffened at the sound of Clint's voice. He turned in time to feel the suit get tossed into a wall, causing it to crack and crumble from the force of the throw. He half-expected to feel a piece of cement hit him square in the helmet, but instead, it was raw energy.

"What the hell?" He sat up and tried brushing off the dirt that now covered the suit, only to find a familiar figure standing near the end of the hallway. "Ada?"

His shoulders sagged in relief when he realized the figure was indeed Ada. Only something about her seemed off when he got a closer look. Tony stiffened once again upon noticing that the necklace she usually wore was glowing. Along with her eyes. Fear threatened to worm its way into his heart when he realized that something was wrong with her. He hadn't seen Ada glare at him that way since they began seeing eye to eye.

"Ada… come on kiddo, snap out of it."

Though he tried making himself look less threatening, he knew he was failing miserably. Ada just glared at him as he dropped his guard. Natasha and Clint were on either side of him, with Steve clutching his shield. The concern written across his face was sickeningly touching.

"You all deserve to suffer for what has happened."

All of them exchanged looks of surprise at the voice that spoke. It sounded deeper and older than Ada's voice. And in a split second, Tony registered who was speaking. Carefully, Natasha took a step forward with her stingers still raised and ready to fire in case whoever was in control tried fighting back. Though it looked as if Ada was trying to restrain whoever was controlling her. Tony silently willed her to keep fighting and regain control, somehow. He suspected that all of the stress from what the assholes had done to her was what led to losing control in the first place.

"You're Nadia, aren't you?" Natasha asked this time.

"I am indeed her mother," Nadia replied without missing a beat. She hadn't dropped her composure, but at least she wasn't hurting anyone at the moment. "And I will do whatever it takes to keep my daughter, and the last of our people safe."

Tony felt his mind trying to come up with some excuse for Nadia to release her hold on Ada. They needed to get out of this place before the cops showed up. Or worse, SHIELD. He knew Ada was going to regret what her mother had done in her place, and it would take time for her to recover from whatever these assholes had done to her. To make matters worse, he felt guilty for allowing this to happen in the first place. None of this bullshit would have happened if he had kept a careful eye on Ada like he promised.

"So will we."

Nadia just rolled her eyes in Steve's direction when he spoke up.

"Were you there for her when she was captured?" she retorted.

The silence that followed just made everything that much more awkward. As much as Tony hated to admit it, Nadia did make a valid point. They hadn't been around at the time to protect her. But Ada was stubborn. Too stubborn for his liking. She would have given herself up just to keep everyone else in the city safe. She wouldn't have wanted anyone else to suffer at the hands of these assholes, especially after what they had done already to her people.

"No, we weren't," he replied after frowning.

"But that doesn't mean we aren't there for her now," Steve quickly put in. Tony threw the Super Soldier a warning look as he lowered his shield. "You're not going to hurt us. She wouldn't allow it."

It didn't take Tony long to realize what Steve was planning. Ada cared too much to allow herself to hurt them. At least, not on purpose. He had been hoping they could talk some sense into Nadia. The woman's wrath was entirely deserved after what the assholes had done to her.

"If you truly believe that, then you have made a poor judgement."

Before anyone else could speak up, she suddenly fired a blast of energy that sent everyone flying in different directions. Tony bit back a groan as he hit the wall at full force. Despite the protection he had from the suit, he could still feel the pain of being jostled around like a ragdoll. He knew the moment Nadia fired back was when they needed to pull off every trick in the book. She wasn't going to back down any time soon. Not while she was in full control.

…

Everything was a wild blur around her. Ada could feel every movement she made as she wandered aimlessly down the extensive halls. The walls around her were beginning to crack from the amount of energy she was giving off. Her mind continued churning with angry thoughts that weren't her own. Violent images of innocent people who were slaughtered needlessly kept sweeping past her vision. She knew that these were all of Nadia's memories. She could see everything that her people suffered from. Even her own mother, who made so many sacrifices, had suffered at the hands of the Black Knights. She realized with a start that taking them down would be more than satisfying.

 _But I'm not going to take them down like this_ , she snapped silently. _I'm not going to turn into the thing they fear and hate the most_!

' _These people deserve to burn for what they have done_ ,' Nadia fired back with equal anger. ' _I will not allow them to get away with the pain they have caused us for centuries_.'

 _But they aren't the reason we're here in the first place_! Ada retorted. Her heart lurched with horror when she heard familiar voices ringing in the distance. She recognized the team. Though Banner and Thor weren't among them, she could see Clint, Natasha, Steve and Tony surrounding her. They were trying to protect the base and the town around it from her, and that left her mind reeling with horror. _The people outside of this compound never asked to be part of this violence_! _And neither did the team_!

She hated not being in full control of her body. Nadia had somehow taken over the moment Emmett unleashed her fury and put the necklace on. Ada had no doubt this was the kind of reaction he had been hoping for when he found her. But he like the others could have been killed by her mother. As much as Ada hated to admit it, the last thing she wanted was to kill anyone.

' _They will inevitably betray us like everyone else has_!' her mother cried out.

Ada flinched at the tone of Nadia's voice. She wanted nothing more than to take back what her mother had taken. She could only watch on in horror as her mother unleashed a wave of energy upon the team. The worst part was watching as Tony was sent flying into a wall, crashing into a pile of debris nearby. Steve had lowered his shield in the attempt of calming her mother, but even that didn't work. Guilt stabbed her in the chest when she saw the damage Nadia was causing. All of this could have easily been stopped if she was somehow able to convince her mother to let go. Yet Ada doubted that was going to happen, especially when she felt her mother's wrath as her own.

 _You have to stop this, please_ , she all but begged for her mother to restrain herself.

"Nadia!" Ada froze at the sound of Nathanial's voice. The asshole had somehow survived the massive pulse of energy her mother unleashed earlier. But he hadn't survived unscathed. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed that fresh blood seeped from a wound that was likely inflicted from flying cement. "You truly are the monster that our people depicted all those centuries ago. I imagine you wish to take your wrath out upon the world by now."

Fury swept through her the moment he said that. Ada's fists clenched as she stalked towards him. He didn't even flinch when she began closing the distance between them. But she stopped in her tracks the moment a shield came flying between them.

"That's enough!" Steve's voice sounded through the chaos. Ada looked in his direction, and she couldn't help but flinch once again as she saw the look written across his face. Though he tried hiding it, this was the last thing he wanted for either of them. Ada's mind was already spinning with dread at the thought of having to hurt anyone else, but her mother wouldn't allow them to get out of this alive. "If you kill him, you'll be no better than the rest of them."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat as Ada realized who he was talking to. The heaviness from earlier suddenly felt as if it lifted for a brief moment. She felt as if she was somewhat in control of her movements. But as her eyes met Steve's, she saw nothing but cold reality within them. Her heart sank at the thought of what would happen if she stooped down to their level. Her people had already suffered enough because of the Black Knights. Yet she was no better than the rest of them if she destroyed this compound, and everyone within it.

He was right. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but he was right. She would turn into the very thing the Black Knights and everyone else feared the most. And in that moment, she knew she had to fight back. She couldn't allow Nadia to kill this man, even if that was what he deserved.

"You have to shoot me," she finally managed to use her own voice.

Steve blinked a few times when he realized that _she_ was talking, not her mother.

"What?" he frowned in confusion.

"Steve, you have to shoot me… it's the only way to stop her," she snapped.

A shiver swept through her as she felt Nadia struggling to regain control. She could see Nathanial in the background trying to get her attention. If she killed him now, she would never forgive herself. Steve's brows furrowed together as he lowered his shield and looked at her cautiously.

"How do I know whether or not I'm talking to Ada, or to Nadia?" he demanded.

Ada's face fell at his question. She understood why he was concerned and confused over who he was talking to. But it still hurt to know that he questioned her in the first place. She forced herself to lower her arms, despite Nadia fighting her every move. It took every ounce of effort not to allow Nadia's control to take over once more. She needed to prove to him that he was speaking to her, and not to her mother. Anything was better than allowing Nadia to kill.

"Because, I don't want to be seen as a monster… I don't want to hurt anyone else," she whispered.

The Super Soldier hesitated for a moment. He wanted to say something, but the words never came. His mouth fell open for a brief moment, and then it quickly clamped shut as he realized what she was implying. Ada couldn't help but cringe when she watched him mentally debate with the idea of shooting her. She knew it wasn't a request that people normally made, but something had to be done before Nadia regained control.

"How sentimental," Nathanial spoke up once again after clapping his hands to cut through the tense silence. Ada only glared at him as he straightened up to gain their attention. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you actually cared about the soldier, along with myself."

That was all it took for Nadia to regain control, "You along with the rest of your followers will burn!"

 _No, don't_! Ada's heart raced with dread when Nadia unleashed another wave of energy, this one more powerful than the rest. The surge was powerful enough to knock Nathanial off his feet, sending him flying into a nearby pile of debris. Nadia didn't give him a chance to recover from her attack. She ran towards him after the blast sent Steve flying in the opposite direction. She could feel the energy building within her as the drugs finally began to wear off.

The power she felt was raw and terrifying. Nathanial's face finally paled as he realized what she was about to do. A slab of cement was cut off from one of the walls, and it began forming into a spear. Panic soon began sweeping through Ada as she realized what her mother was about to do. Her heart had all but began racing with dread at the thought of killing him. As much as she hated the asshole for everything he had done, she wasn't going to kill him. Not if she could help it.

 _Nadia, stop_!

The spear was about to fly in Nathanial's direction when a piercing gunshot resounded. Ada's heart all but skipped a beat as she heard the sound thundering in her ears. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see that Natasha was the one who fired the gun. And she was prepared to fire again if she needed to.

"I'm sorry," the master assassin whispered.

It took a few seconds for Ada to register why she was apologizing. Then black spots began appearing along the edge of her vision. The spear that had been hovering in front of Nathanial suddenly dropped into a pile of debris. She could feel her mother's rage still trying to control her. But the gunshot wound was too much. It wasn't long before her mother's voice faded into the distance. And soon, her vision began to give out along with her legs.


	67. Chapter Sixty Seven

**Chapter Sixty Seven**

" _Break me down replace this fear inside, Take this nothingness from me I want to find, I want to shine I want to rise, Break me down..._ " - Break Me Down, Red

* * *

Everyone watched the scene unfold with a mixture of disbelief and realization. The world suddenly felt as if it had stopped on its tracks when Tony finally registered what had happened. He'd heard the gunshot ring through the air, but he didn't want to believe that Romanoff was the one who fired said gun.

He could only watch helplessly when the bullet finally reached its intended target. It seemed as if everything was in slow motion when the spear that Nadia had created disintegrated. The man cowering before her let out a sigh of relief when he realized that the bullet had hit her rather than himself.

Tony wasted no time in firing a repulser blast at the man when he started scurrying away. Even if they had laws regarding killing someone, the asshole deserved to suffer for what he had done. And Tony was in no mood to debate with everyone when he reached Ada's body. She had finally collapsed to the floor with a sickening thud from a loss of blood.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded once he reached her side.

His heart sank with dread when he tried searching for a pulse. Whatever they had done had compromised her healing abilities. He knew that after watching her get injured before this, she would have healed by now.

"It was the only way," Romanoff replied while keeping a trained eye for more guards. Tony felt sick in the pit of his stomach at the thought. There had to be another way to prevent this from happening. Though, when he glared in her direction, her face betrayed guilt. "She would have killed all of us."

"No she wouldn't!" Tony snapped without missing a beat. He was furious – mostly with himself for letting this happen in the first place. He hated to admit it, but Nadia had been right when she said that they weren't there for Ada when she had been captured. "She hesitated the moment Steve tried reaching out to her!"

The last thing he wanted to believe was that Romanoff had killed her. His heart was beginning to race with panic when he realized that he felt no pulse. She was already beginning to lose too much blood as he gingerly scooped her into his arms. She had already suffered enough as it was. He hated seeing her like this, especially when he knew that something could have been done to prevent it.

"Doctor Banner, we're gonna need an emergency extraction team here," Steve called through the com while watching the scene unfold before him.

Since they didn't want to take the risks of unleashing the Hulk upon the compound, Banner had stayed behind with the quinjet to keep an eye on it. Tony was suddenly grateful that the doctor was there. They started moving without another word once it became clear that she needed medical treatment. He wasn't planning on leaving her behind if there was something that could be done to help her recover.

"Nat made the right call," Barton stated with a gruff nod as he, Romanoff and Steve arrived with Tony at the quinjet.

"Was it?" he demanded when he rounded on the archer. Barton wasn't the least bit put off by his sudden fury. Instead, he crossed his arms and looked back with equal defiance. And Tony cursed under his breath when he realized that Ada would often act the same way when he tried imposing rules on her. Of course, she would have taken some of the tactics that Barton used against him. "She didn't want to hurt anyone. She—"

"Tony," Steve suddenly cut him off with a warning look, "She was asking me to shoot her… I think it was the only way to stop Nadia from taking full control over her."

Tony could only stare at Ada's frail form as realization dawned on him. The fact that she wanted someone to shoot her hurt the most. If she was willing to take that length to keep them protected… she certainly wasn't the monster the asshole nearby panned her out to be. He swallowed hard as those thoughts and more kept churning in the back of his mind. If only he had been more careful. This could have all been avoided.

"She will always be seen as a monster," the man sneered with contempt.

"You better watch yourself from now on, asshole," Tony snapped as he struggled back to his feet.

Despite the repulser blast that had knocked the asshole off his feet, the man who had triggered whatever control Nadia held over Ada looked well and alive. What made it worse was seeing the smug look written across his face when he assessed the damage that was caused.

"SHIELD's already on their way to clean up the mess these idiots left behind," Clint rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"And do you really think this will be the end of her mother's wrath?" the man chuckled in grim amusement, shaking his head as if he'd cracked a joke, "Nadia _will_ be back. And she won't hesitate to kill anyone who stands in her way. Not after what you have done."

All of them exchanged wary looks at that. Tony's brows furrowed together in concern and confusion as he wondered what the asshole meant by that. He'd known that there was a connection between her mother and the necklace that Ada had always worn since she turned sixteen. But if that necklace was the reason her mother was able to control her, it was best to keep them separated. It also gave Tony a small surge of hope that maybe, just maybe Ada had survived the gunshot wound.

…

Sure enough, Bruce had worked throughout most of the night and the following day to make sure that Ada received proper treatment for her injuries. The gunshot wound was his main priority, though he could tell that she had suffered from various injuries. By the time they reached the ICU at the Tower – Tony refused to take her to an actual hospital where the doctors would question whether it was safe to have her around – he managed to get a pulse.

Some of the scientists at the facility had been using a drug that nullified the effects of her powers. More specifically, her ability to heal her injuries. That was why it had taken longer for her to respond when Bruce managed to clean her system of most of the drugs. Some of the other drugs that were used had been meant to enhance some of her abilities, much like the Super Soldier Serum. That was also why her powers hadn't been as effective.

"She's lucky that she survived all of this treatment," he shook his head in disbelief after making sure that she was no longer in need of strict round-the-clock care. "Most people wouldn't have survived the kind of treatment they were putting her through."

"The only reason they kept her alive for as long as they did was to get a reaction out of her mother," Tony muttered under his breath. He was still furious over the fact that they had taken advantage of both Ada and her mother. "God only knows how she's going to react when she wakes up again."

He didn't bother including 'if'. After everything they had been through, Tony tried to maintain his optimism. Ada had suffered the most out of everyone there. Seeing the scars along her back was what pissed him off the most. He had been planning to confront the asshole they'd taken into custody after SHIELD swarmed into the compound. He'd planned on taking his frustration out on the man they now knew as Nathanial. But he'd restrained himself knowing that Ada would need all the help she could get.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he suspected that SHIELD would deal with Nathaniel the same way they dealt with every criminal picked off the street. And of course, he'd likely get away with what had happened to her. He was secretly hoping that Romanoff or Barton would find some way of being there for the interrogation, that way they would have more knowledge on the Black Knights and if they planned on striking back.

"There's a possibility she may never fully recover from all of this," Bruce warned him. Tony crossed his arms as the doctor finished cleaning up. "Look, I'm not a therapist, but it's painfully obvious that she blames herself for anything that goes wrong when she's involved. You of all people know how she acts and behaves."

Tony lowered his gaze at that. He didn't want to admit that she would blame herself for whatever happened back there. He was admittedly terrified of what would happen when she did wake up. They had removed the necklace that connected Ada to her mother, but there was no telling what she would say to that.

"I do know," he admitted out loud. "And that's what scares me the most… she went through all of that. She didn't deserve what those assholes did to her."

"She has a good father, one who won't abandon her during a time of need," Bruce reminded him with a pointed look.

Despite the way he felt about the whole situation, Tony couldn't help but crack a small smile. Though, it didn't last long when Steve arrived. The Super Soldier looked frazzled, and after having to explain the situation to SHIELD, he wasn't entirely surprised.

He'd left explaining what happened to Natasha and Clint, knowing that the two agents could easily handle the situation at hand. While he didn't entirely trust either of them, especially Natasha after what she did to Ada, he trusted them enough not to give away too much information. Besides, Ada had always trusted them. He had to at least have some faith in her judgement.

"How is she?" Steve asked after reaching the room.

"Her vitals are beginning to show signs of stabilizing," Bruce quickly explained. "It's a good thing she isn't from this world… No human would've been able to survive what they did to her."

That was enough for Steve to look at both men in alarm. Tony just shook his head in frustration. The only thing he could do was hope that Nathanial and the others involved with the Black Knights paid the price for what they did.

"What'd SHIELD say?" he asked in the hopes of cutting through the tension.

"Not much," the Super Soldier admitted. "Nat and Clint are talking to Director Fury as we speak. But they did say those involved with the Black Knights are facing numerous charges, along with some serious jail-time."

Tony nearly rolled his eyes at their lack of proper punishment. Though prison did sound satisfying, he knew that they deserved a worse punishment. The assholes had been responsible for all of this chaos, and to make matters worse, they nearly lost Ada in the process. He shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if the worst-case scenario played out. He realized with a start how much losing Ada would have meant to him.

"Well, at least they faced some kind of justice for their actions," he sighed irritably. "Still doesn't make what the bastards did to her any better."

"No, it doesn't," Steve nodded in agreement. He let out a heavy sigh of his own and looked at nothing in particular. Tony knew that he had been just as anxious as he was about whether or not Ada would make it. And judging from the look he kept giving Bruce, he desperately wanted to be updated on her status. "I wish there was more I could do… I'm not used to sitting still and doing nothing."

That, Tony agreed fullheartedly with. He too hated not being able to do anything while she was out cold like this. Though, it was probably better for everyone's sake that she was out cold. Tony could already imagine the sorts of chaos that would follow when she finally did wake up.

He had been trying to brace himself for the worst possible outcome. When he explained the situation to Pepper – she had been furious enough and worried enough when she found out the truth of where Ada had been – she made him promise that he would be there for her when she woke up. That he would be the father that she needed while she recovered from the mess those assholes put her through. And Tony planned on sticking with said promise.

"You better damn well make sure that you treat her well, Rogers," he snapped at the Super Soldier, aware that this was more than just about what had happened at the compound. Steve hadn't been able to follow through when she begged him to shoot her. Despite his training in the military, he just hadn't had the heart to fire the gun. "I'd sooner kick your ass than let you hurt her."

"Believe me, I don't plan on hurting her in any way," Steve reassured him in a tone that suggested he wasn't in any hurry to cross that line. "She's proven to me more than once just how strong she is, despite what she's going to believe after this."

In that moment, Tony realized with a start that despite his lack of trust towards the Super Soldier, he really _did_ seem to care about Ada.

"So… I take it she means more to you than you realize?" he finally asked after deciding to jump the gun.

He was probably going to regret asking that question. His gut kept churning with anxiety at the thought of Ada ever dating anyone, especially Captain America. Hell, he was not prepared for what would happen when she met someone who actually gave a damn about her.

"Yeah, she does," Steve admitted with a heavy sigh. He glanced at Tony warily when the Super Soldier let out a small cough. He was clearly uncomfortable with the subject, which only gave Tony the incentive to carry on with it. "When we first met, I thought she was just like you… no offense."

"Non taken," Tony brushed it off with a shrug. It wasn't the first time he'd heard someone regard him with utter disgust, and it probably wouldn't be the last time. "But if that's your way of telling her you have feelings for her, you'd better damn well find a better way."

If it wasn't for the fact that they were in the ICU and currently waiting for Ada to wake up, Tony would have laughed at the look written across Steve's face when he said that. He was suddenly thankful that Jarvis was there to record the whole thing, especially when Steve's face turned a faint shade of red.

"I plan to," he quickly replied. "What I meant to say was, I still regret saying the things I said on the Hellicarrier. She's a heck of a lot more than just another SHIELD agent… or a Stark, for that matter."

For once, Tony couldn't hide the small smile that followed. Despite the situation they were in, Steve still managed to add a little dry humor to it. And he knew that Steve was right about Ada. She was so much more than a Stark. And he wouldn't want her any differently. He just hoped that she saw it that way when she woke up.

…

Coulson let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the temple of his forehead in frustration when he was relayed the information on what had happened in Winchester. When reports were filed about a ship flying over London, he thought that Thor might have returned along with the Asgardians. But to his surprise, the reports had been about a quinjet led by the Avengers searching the area for signs of the Black Knights.

It didn't take him long to figure out why they were looking for the Black Knights. As realization and dread began to sink in, he immediately sent out calls and messages to Romanoff and Barton, hoping for answers. The two top agents had been keeping him posted on Ada's progress since they last saw one another. And he was pleased with the progress she made, despite his earlier doubt. This, however, was going to be a major setback if things went the way he expected them to.

"It's not clear whether or not she's going to fully recover from this incident," Romanoff reported through the face-cam.

Her expression was impossible to make out, but it was obvious that she took the full blame for what had happened to Ada. And Coulson suddenly understood why that was. She was the one who pulled the trigger. She hadn't had much of a choice in the matter. It was that or allow Ada's mother to destroy the compound and anyone within its radius.

"Don't go blaming yourself for something you had no control over," he reassured the master assassin, knowing that it would take time for everyone to recover from what had happened. "You made the right call, like Barton said. You did your job – you kept everyone safe from harm, and that's what matters the most."

Though she didn't convey her emotions often, Coulson could tell that this had clearly affected her. Hopefully everyone would recover from what had happened. They managed to capture one of the Black Knights, and they could extract whatever information they needed from him.

"Carhall's been keeping his mouth shut during the interrogation process," Barton put in after shooting Romanoff an uneasy look. "The bastard isn't gonna talk unless we give him his rights… whatever the hell they are."

Coulson bit back another sigh of frustration when he realized what that meant. Because she technically wasn't even human, Carhall and the rest of his followers had the right to deny that they had been testing on human subjects. It was another loophole in the justice system, and one that he truly hated more than anything. The world knew that aliens existed; it was only a matter of time before the justice system caught up with that realization.

"He's not going to get away with this," he deadpanned with a look of determination.

After reading through all of the countless stories Ada had written throughout the years, and hearing some of the stories himself, he knew that these people deserved justice of some kind. It was the least SHIELD could do for them.


	68. Chapter Sixty Eight

**AN: Hopefully this chapter isn't too rushed, even though it feels as if it is...**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty Eight**

The world felt as if it was all one wild blur around her. She could sense everything in her surroundings, from the room she was in, to the fact that she wasn't alone. Occasionally, she would hear voices in the background. Some of them were angry, while others sounded guilty. Of all the sounds in the room that had annoyed Ada the most was the heart-rate monitor going off every few seconds.

Her mind had been drifting in and out of consciousness over the last few hours. Since she lost consciousness entirely at the compound, she saw flashes of what appeared to be movement across her vision. Ada was aware that she had been moved from the compound to another facility, though she wasn't entirely sure where.

For what felt like an eternity, Ada didn't move.

She was too afraid of what her mother would do if she was still in control. The rational part of her mind kept telling her that Nadia was no longer present. Yet that didn't stop her from worrying over what would happen if her mother was somehow able to regain control over her.

The realization that her mother would have killed everyone in sight was only just beginning to sink in. Ada's heart began to sink further and further as she imagined what would have happened if she had given her mother the chance to do so.

 _All for the sake of petty revenge_ , Ada nearly rolled her eyes at the thought. Though, she could understand what had driven her mother to such rage. The Aliquid had suffered from so much over the past centuries. She supposed that Nadia did have a good reason for wanting to hurt those that had hunted down her people like wild animals.

"It's good to see that you're finally awake." Ada flinched when she heard the sound of Banner's voice. Her eyes snapped open the moment she realized she wasn't in a hospital. Instead, she was laying on a bed surrounded by machinery that constantly checked her vitals. She grimaced the moment she tried moving, and Banner reacted almost immediately. "You're gonna be in pain for the next few days… I tried using a mild sedative to help, but it seems your body rejected it."

"My powers were probably just defending me against it," she guessed, wincing at how hoarse her voice sounded. Banner threw her a look of concern as he went over to a nearby counter and grabbed a glass of water. Relief swept through her when he returned to the bed she was currently resting on and handed her the now filled glass. "They were using some kind of drug to weaken them."

Though Banner nodded in understanding at her explanation, he was still unhappy with the fact that those scientists had used drugs in the first place. She frowned as she recalled how many times they had injected those drugs into her body. Any normal human would have likely succumbed to the drug. Even though the drugs had been able to dampen her powers, that didn't mean they found some way of fending it off for as long as they could.

Nadia was the one who explained to her that she had the ability to adapt to whatever situation the world threw at her. For once, Ada was only just beginning to understand how extensive that ability was. The Aliquid were made to survive whatever the cruel world threw at them. Ada was living proof of that.

"Where is everyone?"

She was almost afraid of asking that question. Because of what had happened back at the compound, she wasn't in any hurry to face anyone at the moment. But she was also worried that Nadia managed to hurt someone during the fight.

Banner frowned as he turned to look at her thoughtfully. He had so much more to say than this. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip when she noticed just how tired he looked, both mentally and physically. She never wanted any of this to happen in the first place, but it was too late for her to take anything back.

With a heavy sigh, the doctor rubbed his forehead and sat down on a nearby chair, "They're all waiting in the penthouse. They wanted to stay a few extra days until you woke up."

For a moment, Ada wasn't sure what to say. She was grateful for the fact that everyone had chosen to stay just to make sure she had recovered. But at the same time, she had a feeling that their decisions hadn't necessarily been made by _them_. She nearly rolled her eyes once again as she wondered how much Tony bribed them to make them stay.

"What'd dad say to convince them?" she asked out loud.

"He didn't need to convince anyone," Banner reassured her with a small smile. Ada rose an eyebrow in disbelief as he looked at her thoughtfully. "Ada, I don't think you realize how much you've won over the team since we formed. Heck, even before we became a team."

It took a few seconds for his words to sink in. She couldn't hide the small smile that followed, despite everything that had happened. She often found herself wondering how that had happened, considering almost everyone she'd met over the years compared her to a pain in the ass.

"So, I take it he didn't want the hospital figuring out where the injuries came from?" she asked once Banner finished checking to make sure that she was okay.

"Too many questions would've been asked," he admitted while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Something tells me they wouldn't take it too well if they found the drugs that were used."

Ada frowned at that. No, the nurses and doctors probably would have asked dozens of questions revolving around why she had been injected with drugs in the first place. She wasn't in any hurry to explain that, or why she had been injured as well.

She could already imagine what Director Fury was going to say to all of this when he got word of what had happened. She had no doubt in the back of her mind that he would find out. Natasha and Clint were the ones who normally reported anything that changed within the team dynamics, and what had happened back at the compound was something that needed to be reported.

"How'd they stop me?" she asked once that was settled.

"Romanoff shot you."

Both Ada and Banner cringed at the sound of Tony's voice. Her face fell when she saw him approaching the room with a look that told her she was in for an earful. Most of this had been her fault in the first place. If she had chosen to stay rather than go to London, none of this would have happened.

 _I'm glad someone took the initiative to do the right thing_ , she thought while looking at nothing in particular guiltily. She knew that Natasha wouldn't have had a problem breaking protocol if it meant keeping everyone safe. Even if it risked losing a teammate in the process.

"I'm guessing that you had a field day with her after that was over," she nearly rolled her eyes when Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "It was the only way to stop her… my mother was going to kill everyone she saw in that compound, teammate or not."

Tony let out a sigh of frustration as he unfolded his arms and closed the distance between them. Ada was already bracing herself for the scolding that would likely follow. When it didn't happen, she looked at Tony in surprise until he suddenly wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the IV bags and the heart monitor attached to her arms.

"I don't give a damn whether it was the right thing to do or not," he snapped. "Ada, I almost lost you. And that sure as hell scared the shit out of me."

She simply offered a guilty smile at that. Despite the situation they were in, she knew that things could have been worse. When she tried begging Steve to shoot her, she realized that wasn't going to happen. The conflict of guilt and regret had stalled him, and it gave Nadia a chance to fire back.

"You of all people should know by now that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe," she reminded him.

Tony threw her a disapproving look when she gave him a charming smile, despite feeling like crap.

"I do know that," he sighed irritably. "And I hate knowing that I know that."

Ada couldn't hide the sheepish smirk that followed. By now, Banner had finished checking to make sure that she was clear of whatever drugs had been affecting her system. The good news was, she found herself in more control than she had been at the compound. The bad news: She wasn't sure if she wanted to put the necklace on again after the way her mother had taken control of her.

"How many people were hurt?" she asked once Banner gave her the all-clear.

She was grateful that he'd agreed to look after her when she was taken back to the Tower. As a doctor, he had the medical training required to look after injuries. But it also meant adding pressure to him that he didn't necessarily deserve.

"Don't do that to yourself, kiddo," Tony quickly scolded her after she hopped off the bed.

To Ada's relief, she was able to move around without feeling too much pain. There was still a dull throbbing in the back of her head, but she suspected that was from the sedatives Banner tried using on her. Thankfully, those sedatives would wear off within a few hours.

"Look, I know that I hurt people… and truthfully, I hate myself for letting Nadia take control the way she did," she admitted.

They were already headed for the elevator where they would meet the others in the penthouse. Another shiver swept through Ada as she imagined every worse-case scenario happening if Nadia did take control of her again. She knew the end results wouldn't be pretty.

"Ada, don't you dare blame yourself for the shit that happened back there!" Tony suddenly snapped at her. Ada flinched when she felt his gaze boring through her as the elevator slowly reached its destination. "You weren't in control of what happened, and those assholes deserved whatever hell you threw at them."

Ada rose an eyebrow as she saw some reasoning behind his statement. Yet, that didn't stop her from feeling guilty for what had happened.

As they reached the main penthouse, Ada noticed that everyone waiting around acted more subdued than usual. After everything that had happened, she couldn't necessarily blame them. She was suddenly thankful that the chaos from earlier hadn't been worse. Banner hadn't warned her of the extensive damage she caused when Nadia was in control.

"Glad to see you've made a full recovery," Clint remarked when he finally noticed their arrival.

"Define 'full recovery'," she muttered under her breath.

It was going to take time for her to fully recover from what had happened. Even if she had physically recovered from the attack and the fact that someone had been in control of her, that didn't mean she felt physically okay.

The archer just rose an eyebrow at her comment while Tony nearly rolled his eyes. Though he still looked mildly concerned for her safety after noticing how she was keeping her distance from everyone else. It wasn't until Pepper emerged from the kitchen that Ada found herself stiffening in surprise at the feeling of arms wrapping around her.

"We were so worried about you," she remarked after giving Ada a bear hug.

"Worried is a bit of an understatement," Clint scoffed once they headed for the main living area. "Stark wouldn't shut his trap around Natasha after the whole shooting fiasco."

Ada threw Tony a scowl when she realized what Clint was implying. She had no doubt that Tony would resort to such levels of immaturity. Natasha had been doing the right thing when she fired her gun. Ada only wished that she could have thought of reaching out to her sooner. It would have saved them the mess of going through all of that.

"She could've killed you with that bullet, and you know that," Tony retorted when he noticed the look she was giving him. His movements were a little slower, as if he'd been contemplating his own behavior over the last couple of days. It was clear that neither he nor Pepper had been getting much sleep since they returned, and the guilt from earlier suddenly came rushing back. "I'm not in any hurry to lose my baby girl."

"Dad, for the last time, it was the right thing to do," she snapped. She couldn't meet Natasha or Steve's questioning gazes when they finally reached the living area. Even Clint frowned at the determination in her voice. She would have asked Natasha to do so a hundred times if it meant keeping everyone safe. And she knew that was what got under Tony's skin. "Look, Nadia was willing to kill everyone that stood in her path. You and I both know the only way of stopping her was by putting me in some kind of shock."

Tony gave her a hard look after he realized what she was willing to do to keep everyone else safe. He was ready to say something else when he thought better of it. He was already pissed off enough for what had happened. He knew he was going to push her over the edge if he continued confronting the issue.

There was something almost unnerving about how ready she was to accept whatever fate the world threw at her. One of the many reasons she joined SHIELD in the first place was to help people, and to figure out more about her powers. Now, she was beginning to understand the real reason behind her joining the agency. She knew that Steve had the same ideals. He'd been willing to play the sacrifice card when it was needed, and he would likely do so again.

"What happened back there wasn't your fault," Natasha deadpanned with a knowing look.

The redhead had been watching her closely, and Ada had no doubt that Natasha had read her like an open book.

"I'm beginning to think that everyone's going to say that now," she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

 _Not that I can't blame them though_ , she thought bitterly. She shook her head at the thought, and she was about to say something else when she caught the look Steve was giving her. She was dreading the moment when they would have to talk again. After the way Steve had reacted during the fight in the compound, she worried over what he was going to say.

"Can we talk?" he suddenly asked after clearing his throat.

"Yeah," she gave a curt nod, ignoring the look Tony was giving them along the way.

Despite what had happened earlier, she wasn't in the mood to deal with his overprotective behavior. Tony was the kind of person who would go out of his way and track them down if they spent more time together than he liked. Though she had a feeling that after what had happened back there, Steve wouldn't be in any hurry to pull off any moves.

It didn't take them long to reach the balcony that overlooked the streets of Manhattan. Ada found herself chewing the bottom of her lip as every fear of how the conversation would go played across her mind

 _I don't know why I'm so wrapped up in this_ , she tried scolding herself. It wasn't as if there was anything developing between them in the first place. Steve saw her as nothing more than a teammate and possibly a friend, if they were even that. She knew that the odds of actually seeing him as anything more were slim. Besides, after what had happened recently, she wouldn't have blamed him for wanting nothing to do with her.

"I'm sorry for what happened back there," she suddenly cut through the awkward silence that followed. Steve just frowned and stared at her for a few seconds as she struggled to formulate the right words. Hell, she wasn't even sure how to explain why she felt the way she did. "I shouldn't have pushed you into doing something you weren't comfortable with. It wasn't fair to you or anyone else for that matter."

For a moment, she was afraid to look him in the eye when he did something that caught her completely off guard. Her heart was nearly pounding in her chest when he suddenly closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace. Ada froze from the immediate contact, unsure of how to react. But as his warmth began to provide the comfort she had been longing for, she suddenly buried her face into his chest in the vein attempt to hide her shock.

"I'm not letting you blame yourself for something you had no control over, Ada," the Super Soldier reassured her. Ada couldn't help but look up. Though he didn't look sympathetic, his voice was laced with it. "There's a reason why I froze when you asked me to shoot you."

"And I'm guessing it had nothing to do with my raging mother trying to destroy the whole compound?" she asked.

She flinched when she realized too late what she had asked. The more she thought about it, the more she almost wished that her mother could have destroyed that compound. The Black Knights were going to make a return. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this wasn't the last time they would see them.

"No, it wasn't," he shook his head, though Ada wasn't sure whether he was being serious or not. "Ada, I couldn't pull the trigger because you mean too much to me. Losing you… it would hurt."

 _More than he could admit out loud_. Ada swallowed hard when a lump formed in the back of her throat. Though he wouldn't say it out loud, she understood the hidden meaning behind his words. The world nearly stood still when he did something that left her heart racing for a whole different reason. The moment their lips met was when all other thoughts dissipated. For a long few minutes, neither of them moved. Ada wasn't even sure what to say at that point as realization finally dawned on her.

Steve was kissing her. And he wasn't even phased with the idea that the others were waiting in the other room. Her mind was still trying to recover from the initial surprise when he suddenly pulled away, concern clouding his blue eyes.

"Was that your first kiss?" she finally cut through the awkward silence that followed.

"Possibly," he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly while trying to hide the reddening of his cheeks. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't apologize," she cut him off before he could finish. She knew where that conversation was headed, and if he felt guilty for making the first move, she wasn't going to condemn him for it. If anything, Steve was the one who had taken her by surprise. She hadn't expected him to kiss her, or for their conversation to take the turn it had. "I just think that… that if we do decide to take things to the next level, we need to be careful about it."

That, Steve was all too quick to agree with.

"Would you consider going on a date?" Ada merely blinked when Steve asked that question.

 _How long has it been since he had the chance to ask something like that_? she wondered after noticing just how awkward he was acting now. She wasn't used to seeing him like this. True, he had his moments where his era would shine through, but he normally tried to hide it.

"A date would be wonderful," she finally nodded in agreement, hoping to make the situation less awkward than it already was. "But only if you promise to act like yourself."

She didn't want or need a sense of professionalism between them if they were going out on a date. Besides, it would be a chance of getting to know one another better. Steve looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds, as if he really considered what she was implying.

"Deal," he conceded after giving it some thought. "Tomorrow night."

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed when she realized what agreement they just made. They were going on a date. And that thought alone was enough to leave her mind spinning as she tried to register what just happened between them.


	69. Chapter Sixty Nine

**AN: Just gonna post this chapter here and see what readers thought of it... if there are any out there. Also, I'm finally getting to the Winter Soldier :) Hopefully this chapter wasn't a complete disaster (though I'm kind of guessing that's what everyone will think of it...)**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty Nine**

"You mean to tell me that you agreed to go on a date with the guy, even after everything that happened?" Tony asked incredulously as Ada sifted through the piles of dresses she'd pulled out.

She knew the moment she told him was when she would receive an earful. Tony had never been keen over the fact that they worked together in the first place. But the moment Steve asked her out on a date was when all hell broke loose. It took more than a few minutes for her to finally calm him down, and for Pepper to convince him that it was okay for her to go on a date. Besides, it wasn't as if they were doing anything formal.

 _Not to mention the fact that he agreed he'd rather it be Steve than some random guy I met_ , she added silently. Of course, Tony would never recall having that conversation during Thanksgiving. She highly doubted he'd want to remember the fact that he'd been accepting towards her dating someone who was willing to give a damn about her.

"Look, we both agreed that it's best to get to know each other for now," she nearly rolled her eyes after finally picking three out of her favorite dresses. She wasn't planning on wearing anything extravagant. They'd planned on keeping the night as casual as possible to make things less awkward than they already were. "The last thing either of us need or want is to rush into anything."

"You're damn right about that," Tony scoffed. He eyed one of the open back dresses she had skeptically. "When did you get this dress?"

Ada glanced at the light blue dress and shrugged, "Pepper got it for me a couple of months ago."

The truth was, they had gone shopping a couple of months before the Mandarin incident. Pepper almost always kept spare clothing at her own apartment in case Ada chose to stay with her for the evening. Those moments had gotten rare since she and Tony started dating, so she had her spare clothing shipped over to the Tower.

Tony just let out a huff of disapproval as she grabbed the dress he'd been inspecting. She knew he wouldn't approve of whatever choice she made. Considering she was going out on a date with Steve for the first time, she at least wanted to make a good first impression. Besides, it was always far more satisfying ruffling Tony's feathers than she wanted to admit out loud.

"So let me get this straight, you're willing to go on a date with the guy even after what happened?" Tony demanded when she reached the bathroom.

She'd slammed the door shut before he could reach it, already aware that she was on thin ice as it was.

 _After everything that has happened, a break would feel good_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes. She wasn't even sure where they were going tonight. Steve hadn't mentioned the place in question, just that he was going to be there at six in the evening. The hardest part was coping with what had happened only a couple of days ago. Her mother's control over the situation had led to massive damage at the warehouse, and she could have easily killed everyone in the area, including the team.

The thought left a shiver of dread through her. She would have never forgiven herself if anything happened to them because of her. And not for the first time, she was suddenly grateful that Natasha had been willing to take the risks that no one else would. Despite what Tony said, she knew that it was the only way Nadia would have stopped unleashing her wrath upon everyone.

"I know that what happened at the warehouse was a disaster," she sighed irritably after she finished putting the dress on. She checked to make sure that her hair wasn't all over the place, and that she didn't look like a complete mess. "But I also know that wallowing in self-pity is never the answer to anyone's problem."

Tony arched an eyebrow when she emerged from the bathroom and offered a sheepish smirk. Despite his earlier misgivings, he seemed to finally understand where she was getting at with her decision. As much as he hated the idea of her going on a date, especially after what had happened, she made a valid point.

"Just make sure you kick his sorry ass if he crosses the line," he finally muttered when they headed towards the elevator.

Ada couldn't hide the sheepish grin that followed at that.

"Something tells me that isn't going to be necessary," she reassured him.

She had already reached the conclusion that while Steve had his moments, he wasn't an asshole like most of the men she had encountered in her life. She knew in the long-run, she could be just as difficult to deal with.

"Pep's probably going to get back late from the board meeting," Tony suddenly warned her. Ada rose an eyebrow at the mention of Pepper. She had been hard at work keeping the company afloat while Tony was busy in Manhattan. It was never a dull moment at Stark Industries, especially when they were involved with the energy business. "Maybe I'll call Rhodey over and see if he's doing anything."

"Call Happy over," she suggested with a knowing look. "He's always got something interesting to talk about."

She watched in amusement as Tony made a face at the mention of spending the entire night with Happy. Ada had no doubt in the back of her mind that Tony would send Happy to spy on herself and Steve during their 'date'. And something told her Happy would jump at the opportunity.

"And spend the evening watching Downtown Abby?" he snorted in amusement. "I've got better things to do."

Ada only laughed at that. When she was younger, Happy would always make her watch episodes of Downtown Abby or something similar when he babysat her. Those nights were usually some of the most memorable nights, because they would often play board games or do something entertaining with the show running in the background.

"I'm sure you'll think of something to keep yourself entertained," she reassured him.

Tony merely crossed his arms over his chest when they finally reached the main lobby. She wasn't surprised to see Steve already waiting. One warning look thrown in Tony's direction was all it took for him to keep his mouth clamped shut. Though his jaw tensed as he caught Steve eyeing her curiously. Ada threw him a warning look when she caught the glare that followed. She knew he wouldn't hesitate to ream Steve out if he was given the opportunity.

"You look beautiful," the Super Soldier finally cut through the awkward silence that filled the lobby.

"You don't look half-bad yourself," she gave a slight nod after noticing that he too was dressed in a casual white t-shirt and jeans. While it wasn't necessarily something that most men would wear on a first date, she had no problem with it. What threw her off was the baseball cap he wore, as if that would be enough to hide him from the public. "What's with the baseball cap?"

"Well, I wanted to make sure the public didn't recognize me," he admitted bashfully.

Ada almost smirked when she caught Tony nearly rolling his eyes. She understood exactly what he was implying. Years of putting up with the press had taught her to hide her face when she was out in the public, or to wear some kind of disguise. She had gotten used to dealing with them, but she could understand why Steve wasn't in any hurry to let the media jump to conclusions again if they were spotted together.

"Just make sure that she's back safely," Tony scoffed after finally deciding it was time to leave. Even he had enough dealing with whatever they planned on calling themselves. "And Rogers, if you cross the line—"

"I don't plan to," Steve replied without missing a beat. "I know my limits."

 _And I know mine_ , Ada silently reminded herself. She wasn't entirely sure what Steve had planned for them tonight. But she did know that it was just supposed to be a casual dinner. Ada was perfectly fine with that notion, especially after everything that had recently happened.

"Shall we?" Ada gestured towards the front door where their night would actually begin, and Steve was all-too-happy to escape Tony's accusing glare.

She just hoped the night didn't end in disaster.

…

The diner that Steve had chosen was a casual looking place that had been around the same time he was living in Brooklyn. Ada couldn't hide the smile that followed when she noticed that it was decorated to look something out of the forties. Even the seating looked like it had come directly from his time period. Music played softly in the background when they arrived. The hostess blinked in surprise when she noticed the new arrivals approach her stand.

"How'd you find this place?" she asked curiously when they were offered seats by a window.

"This is actually the same diner where Bucky and I would go when we had the money to pay for meals," Steve explained. He suddenly looked sheepish at the mention of having to find money in the first place, though Ada was hardly surprised with that revelation. "We were both pretty poor where we grew up, so money was rare to come by."

Ada nodded in understanding. She knew that she would have been in a similar situation had Tony not adopted her. Not for the first time, she realized with a start just how damned lucky she was. Though, the more she thought about it, the more she began to wonder if this kind of life was all it was cracked up to be.

She was shaken from her thoughts when the waitress stopped by to order their food. The waitress kept shooting either of them strange looks, and Ada nearly rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time when she guessed why. Despite the disguise that Steve tried putting on, he still stuck out like a sore thumb with his broad shoulders.

"No offense, but I think you need a better disguise than a baseball cap," she remarked once the waitress had finished and left.

"You might be right with that suggestion," he laughed dryly at the thought of finding yet another disguise. The baseball cap could only do so much to conceal his identity. "Though something tells me they'd still find out who I am."

"God forbid Captain America actually has a casual night out," she shook her head in amusement, though her voice had dropped to a whisper as she used his name.

 _Imagine the chaos that would follow if people knew he was here right now_ , she thought while glancing around warily. Fortunately, most of the costumers were too focused on either each other or their food to notice them sitting in the corner. Ada preferred it that way. The less attention she received, the better off she was. _Besides, the media would go crazy if they realized we were on an actual date_.

Unease swept through her at the thought. The last time the media went on a field day over them working together hadn't ended well. She was thankful that one reporter had the audacity to at least talk to her. Getting an interview hadn't been her idea of making peace with the press, but at least it got them off their backs for a while.

"I don't know how you managed to put up with the press for as long as you do," he put in.

"It isn't easy, I'll give you that much," she offered a wry smile after taking a sip of her water. "Reporters are always looking for something juicy to write about, and being Tony's kid didn't help much. Things only got worse when people found out I was adopted. Pepper and I usually only went out when I was wearing a disguise if we wanted to go shopping, and even that didn't always work"

She could already recall how many times she had to run for cover when she saw a reporter trying to ask questions about what it was like living with Tony Stark. Or the countless reporters that had asked whether or not she planned on taking over his company. The worst were the ones who asked where she came from, and if she was taking advantage of Tony's generosity.

"Can't be any worse than being forced to take pictures with women all the time," Steve muttered after giving her response some thought. Ada rose an eyebrow and looked at him skeptically as he shrugged, "When I was touring across Europe, the press had me use pictures with various people as an opportunity to gain the public's trust. Captain America wasn't always the most popular soldier on the field until I rescued Bucky's unit."

Ada's brows furrowed together as realization dawned on her. She would have thought that Captain America was the one hero that the world needed at the time of World War II. Then again, with so many conspiracy theories going on at the time, she shouldn't have felt too surprised.

"So, I have to ask because I am a little nosy, but what was life like for you before you became Captain America?" she suddenly cut through the awkward silence when their food arrived.

Hell, she wasn't even sure if they could make the conversation anymore awkward than they already had. Ada frowned at the thought. They'd talked about things like his past before, but he'd never actually gone into a detailed account about it now that she thought about it. What was more, their conversations usually weren't this awkward. Steve blinked in surprise when she asked that question, but to her relief, he didn't look too annoyed that she brought it up.

"I was a scrawny kid with numerous allergies and medical issues," he explained with a sheepish look. It was Ada's turn to look at him in surprise as he pulled out his wallet, revealing a small black and white photo of what he looked like prior to becoming Captain America. She couldn't hide the small smile that followed when she noticed how short and thin he was compared to now. Despite the size difference, she could clearly tell that he still looked like himself. "People used to make fun of me all the time for my size… sometimes we'd end up in fights, and I always refused to back down from them."

For once, Ada wasn't sure what to say as she handed him back the picture. She knew that it couldn't have been easy living that kind of life. She'd experienced bullying early on in the orphanage, but the kids there had quickly learned that she wasn't a force to be reckoned with.

"Coulson always mentioned that Captain America was brave not only because of what he stood up for, but because he never backed down from a challenge," she remarked. Steve glanced at her in surprise when she mentioned Coulson's name. "We worked together a lot when I was training with Natasha. He would always try to use Captain America as a way to inspire other agents."

She watched in amusement as Steve's cheeks flushed a faint shade of red at the thought of being used for inspiration towards SHIELD agents. Though, he shouldn't have been too surprised considering how big of a fan Coulson was.

"Sometimes I keep forgetting that you joined SHIELD when you were so young," he admitted.

"Well, it was either that or have someone watching my every move twenty-four-seven," she replied with a shrug. She knew that in hindsight, SHIELD still watched her every move. But at least she had a little more freedom than she would have if she refused to join the agency. "Besides, it was the best way to figure out what I really was, and where I came from."

It was more than that, though. The truth was, she had always wanted to find a way of helping people. She had the powers and the ability to do so. She was never a fan of the limelight like Tony had been, so she didn't want to become a superhero like Iron Man or even Captain America. SHIELD had provided her an opportunity that she couldn't ignore.

"I never wanted to become Captain America just to gain the muscles or the benefits," Steve suddenly deadpanned as if he'd read her thoughts. Ada glanced at him in surprise when she caught him eyeing her thoughtfully. "That's why you joined SHIELD, wasn't it? To help people like I wanted to?"

"Something along those lines," Ada nodded in response as she tried avoiding his questioning gaze. She recalled having a similar conversation with him on the Hellicarrier before Loki's attack. A lot had changed since then. "So, you wanted to join the army but they wouldn't let you?" she asked curiously.

"I was too much of a liability," he admitted sheepishly. Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise, "I had a horrible immune system, and I was prone to getting sick all the time. Military didn't want to waste their time or their resources on someone who could drop like a fly if I got sick."

Ada couldn't help but frown at that. She understood why the military had been so strict about illnesses spreading through their ranks. At the time, signing up for the army had been everything. But if someone was sick, it meant they couldn't serve the country the way they had been hoping. She wanted to say something else, but the check had finally arrived at that moment. The moment Ada's eyes met Steve's was when she guessed what was on his mind.

"I've got it covered," he said before she could argue. Ada merely rolled her eyes at that, but then he added something that took her by surprise, "Usually the gentleman is the one who pays the bills after a date."

"I'm not opposed to paying the bill," she pointed out, though there wasn't any point in arguing with him.

She did see the logic behind his statement, especially since that was what men usually did during his time period. Still, she felt guilty for letting him pay. She had more than enough to pay for the both of them, and she didn't mind doing so.

"Consider this my way of treating you."

By now, Ada was struggling not to grin when he offered a charming smile, one that would have captivated any woman. Neither of them said a word as he paid the check, offering the waitress a decent tip in the process. Once the check was paid, they quickly parted before they could draw more attention than they already had. Quite a few patrons had looked in their direction when they began arguing quietly among themselves, and Ada knew it was only a matter of time before they recognized them.

"Thank you again, for all of this," she murmured when they finally reached the Tower. She glanced at her phone warily, surprised to find that Tony hadn't sent her any texts along the way. On any normal occasion, he would have sent her a dozen messages checking in on her. "I really did have a good time, all things considered."

"I did too," Steve replied with a nod of agreement. Ada glanced at him warily, wondering if that really was the case. But when she caught something flicker across his blue eyes, she knew that he was being honest. She'd quickly learned that Steve rarely lied unless it was absolutely necessary. Another quality that she both admired and often got annoyed with. "I wouldn't be opposed to trying it again."

For the first time since her fallout with Emmett, Ada felt her heart flutter in a way she wasn't expecting. Especially when she found herself standing just inches from him. Steve hesitated for a brief minute, as if he was unsure what to do next.

"Are you planning on just standing there like an idiot all night, or do I have to make the next move?" she suddenly cut through the awkward silence that followed.

She had to force back the bubble of laughter that threatened to follow when Steve's cheeks turned a faint shade of red. It was clear that even after all this time waking up from the ice, he was still completely inexperienced around women. But he didn't let that deter him. Steve moved without hesitation this time, capturing her lips with his. Nothing could have prepared her for the sparks that flew, or the fact that her arms had wrapped around his neck. Her heart was fluttering for an entirely different reason when his hands finally reached her waist.

It took a few seconds for either of them to recover from the initial shock of that first kiss. Ada held her breath their foreheads pressed, and she found herself staring into his eyes. She hadn't been anticipating the amount of emotions churning within her the moment their eyes met.

Eventually, Steve finally spoke up, "Worth the wait."

Ada couldn't hide the grin that followed even if she wanted to upon hearing that. She was beginning to realize that he was right. Maybe it had been worth the wait in the end. Despite her earlier doubts, she knew that agreeing to go out had been the right decision.

"I'm glad to hear someone believes that," she whispered as she felt his gaze searching her own. "For all that it's worth, tonight really was one of the better nights I've spent in the city. Thank you for that."

Steve only offered a grin of his own, then he caught her by surprise when he suddenly leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"I'll see you soon," he promised, knowing that truer words couldn't have been said.

Considering they both worked in the same field, Ada had no doubt that they would be seeing each other more often than most coworkers normally did. And for once, she was happy with that idea. She suddenly found herself hoping that she would get the chance to see him again, and not while they were on a mission.


	70. Part Six, Chapter Seventy

**Chapter Seventy**

She wasn't sure what to expect when she received a call from Director Fury just a few days after her date with Steve. Since the first date had gone so well, they went out a couple more nights after that. It was hard to imagine that their lives could have changed so dramatically since they first met. Despite Tony's protests and the fact that he had been unhappy with the first initial date, he was beginning to realize that they were taking things slowly. Ada knew from experience that moving forward too quickly could lead to disastrous results, especially in their line of work. The last thing she wanted was to push Steve into an uncomfortable position.

Ada shook her head at the thought as she wandered down the hallways of the SHIELD facility where she first began her training. The fact that Director Fury wanted a face-to-face meeting only left her feeling that much more concerned. Natasha had warned her that she and Clint filed a full-detailed report on what happened in Winchester, London. But she left out the little fact that Nadia had been the one responsible for causing all of that damage.

A shiver swept through Ada as she thought of how that had ended so horribly. Getting shot hadn't exactly been the best option, but it was the only one they had to stop Nadia from destroying everyone in the compound. The worst part was knowing that her mother would have been willing to kill everyone on sight, including the team. She understood why her mother had been so determined to take down everyone responsible for the pain that the Black Knights had caused her. But death was never the answer. Not as far as Ada was concerned.

She watched as agents passed her along the way. She could still remember when she first started out in the agency. Most of the agents that were here now had either been relocated or moved on in the world. But the ones she had worked alongside had always regarded her as someone who was too young and naive to even be part of SHIELD. There was a time when she had been determined to prove that she was more than worthy of being part of the agency.

 _But that ended in disaster_ , she silently reprimanded herself for even thinking she could have taken on a mission of her own at her age. Age hadn't necessarily played a large factor in how badly the mission had ended. A mutant had been on the loose causing chaos throughout Brooklyn, New York. And she managed to somehow convince Jimmy to tag along with her when she and Clint weren't on speaking terms with each other. She was lucky they had both gotten away without getting themselves killed in the process, and that Jimmy had still remained her friend after that.

Her failure in Brooklyn hadn't been forgotten. Hell, Coulson had used it as a way of reminding agents why going out on their own was a stupid and reckless decision. But in the end, she had begun to respect Clint because he stood up for her when the agency threatened to kick her out. The archer had taken everyone, including herself by surprise when he stood up for her. Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she recalled what he said to her that morning when the Council had faced her.

"Sure, the kid can be reckless and an idiot at times, but I sure as hell wouldn't want her as an enemy," he'd said at the time.

One of the Council members had pointed out that she'd been responsible for nearly causing a building to collapse during her fight with the mutant. Of course, she'd managed to stop it from doing so, but not without severe consequences. Eventually, both Fury and Clint were able to convince the Council to let her stay as long as she remained on strict terms until they deemed her ready.

It wasn't until she reached the small room that Fury usually used as an office that Ada stopped in her tracks. She swallowed hard as she thought of how he would assess the situation she was in. Since she hadn't put on her mother's necklace, she hadn't been suffering from nightmares like she normally did. In fact, she'd actually gotten decent sleep for the first time in days since recovering from her captivity with the Black Knights.

 _If only things had gone differently back there_ , she thought bitterly. _I wish I could have convinced Nadia to let go of her control. Maybe those people wouldn't have been killed in the process_. Guilt had been eating away at her since she found out how many people were killed in the compound. Tony was the first to reassure her that their deaths had been justified. Even Steve had reassured her that she hadn't had a choice in the matter. She was only just defending herself at the time. But that was still no excuse for losing control, or for letting Nadia take control of the situation.

With a sigh, she finally pushed the door open and decided that the sooner she got this meeting done and over with, the better off she would be.

Ada glanced at Director Fury warily when she saw him sitting at the desk with manila folders spread across along with an iPad. His expression was impossible to make out, but she could tell that he wasn't happy having to be there in person.

"You're looking cheerful as always, boss," she remarked dryly.

Fury threw her a look that dared her to continue. Ada quickly clamped her mouth shut as she took a seat across from him. She tried to soothe her already frayed nerves by rubbing her arms up and down. When that didn't work, she averted her gaze after feeling his own eye bore through her. Getting into an argument wasn't exactly the best way to handle the situation. Especially when said person she was arguing with happened to be her boss, and the director of SHIELD.

"You're in a heap of trouble for what happened back in Winchester, Stark," he finally deadpanned. Ada was hardly surprised with that accusation. She had been bracing herself for the questioning that would follow. But what Fury said next took her by surprise, "Though it seems that most of the team has already stood up for you in regards of what happened. Romanoff and Barton were especially keen on making sure that the Council let you off the hook for what happened."

She frowned in confusion when he handed her one of the folders that had been sitting at the top of the pile. Ada's brows furrowed together in surprise as she saw the various reports that both Natasha and Clint had filed. Tony's was smaller, but she recognized his format almost immediately. Soon to follow was Banner's, who had given a full detailed report on her medical condition and why she had been in the infirmary for nearly four days.

"They all stood up for me?" she asked in surprise.

"Don't go around flattering yourself, Stark," Fury rolled his eye knowingly, "On any normal occasion, the Council would be on your ass for pulling off such a stunt in Winchester. But given the circumstances and what happened back there, we're letting it slide."

She only gawked at Fury and what he was implying. She knew full-well that she could have faced severe punishment for killing people and for unleashing her powers. The fact that the Council was letting this slide left her wondering just how many clearances Fury had to pull. She wasn't going to argue, though. If he was willing to stand up for her like the rest of the team, then there wasn't any point in arguing.

"I'm not sure what to say," she admitted sheepishly.

"That's a first. You might want to take a look at some of the records that Romanoff was able to find before that compound collapsed," Fury suddenly warned her.

The silence that followed left Ada's mind wandering for the next few seconds as she read the files in question. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she noticed that the scientists who had been experimenting on her were taking notes like they said. She frowned as one text in particular caught her attention.

"They were planning on using me as some kind of social experiment?" she asked warily.

"It seems their hate extended beyond that of your own people," Fury replied with a nod. Ada's eyes narrowed as she thought of what one of the scientists said. The scientists at the compound had been talking about trying to find some way of containing the powers that her people once controlled. Then they went on about finding a way of capturing mutants and doing the same thing to them. A shiver of rage swept through her at the thought. She knew that she wasn't the only one they had been experimenting on. Her stomach suddenly twisted in a knot as she wondered how many other victims had suffered at their hands. "They were planning on using you as a way of terrifying the public into believing that anyone with powers couldn't be trusted."

"Including mutants and others with enhanced powers," she finished for him. Fury gave another gruff nod at that, having already reached the same conclusion himself. Ada wanted to throw up when she realized that these assholes had been hurting so many other people in the same way they'd tried hurting her own. "What I want to know is why the hell these assholes were so determined to take down the Aliquid in the first place? What did they ever do to them?"

"That's the million dollar question right there," Fury let out a sigh of frustration and rubbed the temple of his forehead knowingly. "No one has been able to determine why the Black Knights were so hellbent on capturing and killing off the Aliquid, other then personal greed."

 _And it's also the question that we're going to keep asking until they answer it_ , she added silently. _They can't remain silent forever, as high and mighty as they try to make themselves sound_.

Ada had a feeling that even if the Black Knights were capable of answering said question, they wouldn't. They were the kind of people who would go out of their way to find any excuse possible. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought. She suddenly found herself wondering when they would try to attack again. She tried pushing the uneasy thoughts aside when she caught another file sitting under the folders.

It was discrete enough that she would have missed it if it wasn't for the logo stamped on the corner. For a moment, Ada was tempted to ask what the folder was there for when she thought better of it.

"I'm guessing that the incident in Winchester isn't the only reason you've asked me to meet with you, sir," she suddenly spoke up again. She caught the look Fury was giving her, and she tried not to smirk knowingly, "The only reason you ever want to meet with me face-to-face is if it revolves around a mission of some kind."

She almost laughed when she heard him mutter 'smart-ass' under his breath. She knew him well enough to understand that his work in the Triskellion was only part of his job. Fury was usually all over the place trying to keep his closest allies in check. So the fact that he wanted her there in person told her that this was something he'd been wanting for quite some time.

"I know you and Captain Rogers have been getting close over the last few months," he finally informed her. Heat immediately rose to her cheeks at the mention of getting closer to Steve. While it was no secret between herself and those close to her, they hadn't exactly made it public yet. "And seeing as he trusts you more than most agents he works with, I wanted to assign you to the same team."

His statement caught her off guard. Ada wasn't sure what to say as she looked at the table self-consciously. True, she and Steve had been getting closer since they started seeing each other. But were they really ready to work together on the same team? Then she thought back to the fact that they technically already did work on the same team.

 _And it won't be any different from what we already do_ , she told herself.

"What part in this team do I play?" she asked warily.

Fury's brows furrowed together as he leaned forward and looked at her expectantly, "You and Romanoff need to work together and look for anything related to SHIELD's database," he informed her. Ada frowned at the way he mentioned Natasha's name, and in a split second, she registered what he was telling her to do. "I've been noticing more and more information disappearing into the web, and something's not adding up. Until I know who I can trust, I want the two of you keeping Cap in the dark."

It took a few seconds for Ada to register what that meant. She sucked in a breath after realizing that she would have to lie to Steve while she was working alongside him and Natasha. And something in the back of her mind kept telling her just how wrong that was.

"No offense, boss, but I'm not exactly in any position to do something like that," she muttered halfheartedly.

"This isn't a request, Agent Stark," Fury reprimanded her. Ada just stared at Fury in disbelief as she realized what he was implying. He was _ordering_ her. And she felt a sudden stab of guilt in her chest at the thought of having to do this to Steve. Especially when they had only just begun getting to know each other. "As a SHIELD agent, it's your job to follow my orders."

She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from making a retort that would only lead to further arguing. It took everything she had not to spit something in response. Fury's response was just another reminder of why she hadn't started any relationships in the first place. She wasn't sure how Clint did it. She knew he had a wife and kids of his own, but how he was capable of living that kind of life was beyond her imagination.

"Alright, fine," she finally snapped through clenched teeth. Fury wasn't the least bit surprised with her annoyance, or the fact that she was struggling to maintain her temper. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to give you bullshit for making me go through with this."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Stark," Fury replied with a firm nod.

Ada returned the gesture, knowing full-well that she wasn't going to enjoy having to figure out how she would keep this knowledge from Steve. She hated the idea of having to lie to him. Lying would only prove to him that she couldn't be trusted, and there was a small part of her that was beginning to wonder how true that was.

…

Tony's frown said it all when she explained the situation to him and Pepper. Barely two hours had gone by when she left the facility and headed back to the Tower. Since they were currently staying in Manhattan for the time being, she and Steve had been using their time in the city to their advantage. Now that she was being reassigned to Washington D.C. as a neighbor and to the Treskellion, she knew that their lives would be different.

"You know, I'm about to throttle Fury for thinking it's okay to assign you to a new mission so soon," he grumbled as Ada helped Pepper clean the kitchen. They'd talked about the meeting over dinner, something they hadn't done in quite a while. Between Tony constantly locking himself in the lab, and Pepper's work schedule, it had been difficult to have dinner together as a family. "This has to be his way of punishing me somehow."

"Dad, not everything is about you," Ada rolled her eyes knowingly. "Besides, moving to D.C. means that I'll be working at SHIELD's headquarters. I'm not working with just Steve, either. Nat's going to be there with us."

"I think it'll be a good move for you," Pepper remarked while ignoring Tony's accusing glare. Of everyone Tony was close to, Pepper had been the most supportive of Ada's decisions. She couldn't hide the small smile that followed when the older woman gave her an encouraging look. "You're almost twenty now, so that should be reason enough for you to see whether or not you're capable of living on your own."

By now, Ada was struggling to hide the triumphant grin that followed. Her birthday was only a few days away. Tony hadn't been planning anything spectacular, and she wasn't expecting him to. But she wanted nothing more than to prove that she was capable of doing this. Working at the Triskellion wouldn't be any different from what she did now. The real challenge would be trying to work with both Natasha and Steve, all the while hiding behind Steve's back.

 _I'm not even sure how that's going to play out_ , she thought bitterly. He wasn't going to trust her again if he found out the truth.

"I'm glad someone supports the idea of me moving away," she admitted.

As if to prove her point, she threw Tony a look that dared him to continue arguing with her. He finally let out a sigh of frustration as he reached them. Though he was clearly annoyed with the idea of her living so close to Steve, and far from them, he knew that this was something that she would have done with or without his permission.

"The last thing I want is for you to get hurt while you're out there," he said after pulling her in for a hug.

Ada couldn't hide the smile that followed as she returned the gesture. Even if she was older and more responsible than she had been when she first joined SHIELD, that didn't stop her from relishing the small moments she had with Tony.

"I'll be fine, dad," she reassured him. "And like I said, I won't necessarily be alone. Steve knows not to cross the line, and Nat's probably going to be watching us like a hawk most of the time we're together."

She had no doubt that Natasha would jump at such an opportunity. The redhead had been asking questions regarding how their dates had gone since they began keeping in touch with each other. Which was strange when Ada thought about it. They hadn't necessarily been close in the beginning, but Ada had begun to respect Natasha in ways she wouldn't have when she first joined SHIELD.

"Alright, fine," he finally relented after realizing that she wasn't going to back down. "Just promise me you'll keep in touch?"

"Deal," Ada nodded in agreement, knowing full-well that was the least she could do.

Once they had that established, Ada went back to her room after they were finished cleaning. It had been almost two weeks since the incident in Winchester. Since then, most of the team had dispersed. Clint had gone back home, and Banner went off the grid again. The Tower seemed oddly empty now that everyone had left. Ada had gotten used to constantly running into someone along her way to her room. She almost frowned at the thought.

 _We've gotten so used to working together now_. _It's strange to think we've gone our separate ways again_.

She shook her head at the thought as she finally reached her room. She had packing to do, and the thought left her feeling slightly overwhelmed as she realized this was the first time she would actually be living on her own. It wasn't until she reached a space under her bed that Ada stopped in her tracks.

She looked down to the small box that Banner placed the necklace in for safe keeping. He'd explained to her that once they took the necklace off, they figured it was safer to keep it off until she thought she was ready to wear it again. After her mother had taken control, no one was sure how Nadia would react again the moment she put it on again.

A lump formed in the back of her throat as she knelt down and pulled the box out. The fear of letting her mother take control had nearly overwhelmed her for the last few days. She knew that it was her own fault for letting such an incident happen in the first place. Everyone else tried reassuring her that she shouldn't blame herself for something she had no control over. But the pain caused by the Black Knights had been too much.

With a heavy sigh, Ada carefully pulled the necklace out, ignoring the stone fragment she'd placed in the same box. The stone hadn't glowed the same way it did back in the compound. She wasn't even sure if it was worth keeping, but something told her that it would be foolish to toss it out. Especially since it was the reason she had been able to free herself.

Carefully, she put the necklace on and braced herself for whatever fury she would feel from her mother. To her surprise, she felt nothing. Ada blinked a few times as she noticed the strange emptiness she felt the moment she put the necklace on.

 _I'm only putting this on because I want to have a word with you. If you try and take control again, I will take it off and keep it off for good_ , she warned Nadia when she finally felt the familiar presence of her mother.

Her mother was silent for the next few minutes, as if she was contemplating what to say. After what had happened, Ada was debating whether or not this had been a good idea in the first place. She was taking a huge risk by putting the necklace on again if her mother was able to take control the way she had earlier.

' _I am not sorry for what I did to those people_ ,' her mother finally spoke. Ada held back a sigh of frustration at the harshness of her tone. ' _What they did was wrong, and they would have continued treating you the way they had until you begged for mercy_.'

 _I wouldn't have allowed that to happen_ , Ada argued silently. Her fists clenched as she glared at the floor knowingly. _Nadia, I've been trained to deal with what those assholes were doing. Unless I absolutely have no other choice, I will_ not _use my powers to kill people_.

She could practically feel the frustration her mother felt at that statement. Her mother had allowed anger to blind her, and that could have taken down not only the compound, but the surrounding area as well. Ada knew that in the end, doing so had been wrong.

' _I have gone to great lengths to ensure that our people survive this cruel world_ ,' Nadia reminded her. ' _I will not allow my sacrifice to fall in the hands of those murderers_.'

 _Neither will the team_ , Ada retorted. _You were willing to kill them when they were only helping_.

For the first time, Ada actually felt genuine guilt rolling off her mother in waves. She hadn't meant to hurt the team. But they had been in the way at the time. And she had been blinded with rage. They were the ones who allowed the Black Knights to hurt her in the first place.

 _I know that you have every right to hate the Black Knights for what they did to our people and myself_ , Ada went on when her mother didn't respond, _But I'm not going to trust you anytime soon after what happened back there. I will keep the necklace on, but if you ever try to take control again, I'm throwing it out_.

Once again, Nadia was silent for a long while. Ada knew that she was testing herself by threatening her own mother. Yet she couldn't bring herself to fully trust Nadia after what had happened. The only way that would ever happen was if Nadia somehow proved herself. She just hoped that she was making the right choice in keeping her necklace on. If her mother did manage to take control again, she knew that it would end in disaster. And this time, she had a feeling that SHIELD wouldn't give her the clearance she had received earlier.


	71. Chapter Seventy One

**AN: We're finally into the Winter Soldier! And I just thought I'd give readers a heads up; it may take a while for the next update to come around the corner... I usually like to post when I'm a few chapters ahead of the story, and right now I'm actually behind on my writing. So I apologize in advance for the wait. Anywho, big thanks to ColdOnePaul for reviewing! Reviews are always greatly appreciated, especially since they encourage me to keep up :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Seventy One**

Ada held back a sigh of contentment as she buried her face into a warm pillow. The sheets wrapped around her formed a protective layer from the cool air wafting from the vent. She was far too comfortable to get up that morning. Especially when she felt the warmth of another body pressed against hers. She finally turned so that she was facing Steve, who was already wide awake. Not that that notion surprised her. Steve was as much of an early riser as she had been.

"Good morning," he greeted her like he usually did in the morning.

She couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed when he moved forward and tenderly kissed her forehead. They'd agreed to share a bed not long after Steve learned that they were on the same team. Ada had jumped at the opportunity, but only under the condition that they didn't reach intimate levels just yet. Neither of them were quite ready for that, especially since they had only been dating for nearly a month now.

Within that time frame, she and Steve had moved to Washington D.C. and continued their work at the Triskellion. It hadn't been easy adjusting to a new life and a new city. But Ada found herself enjoying what time she had with Steve. Natasha had made it easier as well when she stopped by for a visit when they weren't on a mission with the STRIKE team. The redhead had been genuinely interested in the fact that they were officially 'dating'.

The biggest challenge was waiting until the right time to admit to Tony that they were sharing apartments. Ada hadn't had the heart to tell him just yet. Though he'd agreed that Steve was better than most of the men who had shown an interest in her, that didn't make him any happier. So, she'd decided the best thing to do was wait until she knew he would treat the situation without freaking out on them.

"Good morning yourself," she replied without missing a beat. She was hardly surprised to find that it wasn't even five in the morning. Since they had begun a morning routine of getting up and having coffee before starting their shift, their mornings usually ended up as a race to see who was awake first. Steve usually ended up winning said race, since he was a light sleeper. "Didn't sleep well again, did you?" she added after noticing that it looked as if he'd been awake for a while now.

"It isn't easy trying to adjust to a new life," he admitted sheepishly.

Ada simply hummed in agreement as they scrambled to climb out of bed. She wasn't in any hurry to actually get up and change, but she knew that the sooner they got ready, the better off they were.

"Something tells me that there's more to it than that," she remarked.

She hadn't missed the fact that Steve didn't sleep nearly as much as any normal person should. And a small part of her knew that it was likely from his days in the army. She'd quickly learned to appreciate sleeping on the ground or anywhere else for that matter thanks to SHIELD. But she couldn't imagine spending months on end adjusting from one bed to the other, and he'd done just that.

"Is mind reading another power of yours?" Though he meant it as a joke, Ada nearly rolled her eyes at the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Her powers had nothing to do with the ability to read when something was on his mind. It was clear that he hadn't been sleeping well, and as she suspected, it had something to do with the bed. She would have pointed that out if it wasn't for the fact that she'd received a text from Natasha.

' _Heads up; boss has a new assignment for us this evening_.'

Ada frowned at that. She and Natasha had been working undercover since she moved to Washington with Steve. Director Fury was the one who had asked her to work alongside the master assassin, since Natasha had no problem breaking a few rules if it meant gathering intel on the enemy. Ada, on the other hand, was left feeling uneasy with the idea of having to go behind Steve's back while working on the same team. It made keeping secrets between them that much more challenging, and she knew that Steve would eventually discover the truth.

She eyed the message cautiously when she saw what it was meant for before deciding to send something back, ' _Thanks; keep me posted on what's happening ASAP_.'

It was code for warning her when it was time to jump into secrecy mode. Which was something that Ada never looked forward to.

"For the record, I don't even know if my people are capable of reading minds or not," she finally pointed out after pouring herself a cup of coffee. Steve threw her a wry look as he stood next to her when she put her phone back in her pocket. She was careful not to let him read the message that Natasha had sent her after she sent another message back to let her know that she'd received it. "I know that we're capable of adapting to any situation that we're put through, but that's about as much knowledge as I have about them."

She added the last part with a shrug, and she caught Steve eyeing her curiously. Even after they had been dating for a month, there was still so much he had yet to learn about her powers and the way they had developed. He had agreed to go with her when she went to Xavier's School for the Gifted. But Professor Xavier hadn't been able to provide much information on the Aliquid at the time. And it had ended up getting the school attacked in the process of their stay.

"Which isn't much when you think about it," he put in knowingly.

Ada gave a faint nod of agreement.

"Are you up for the usual morning run?" she asked after they finished their coffee.

Since they moved to Washington, she and Steve had been finding spots around the city where they could have a morning jog. The National Mall had become one of their favorite spots, along with parks and other recreational areas close by. Bystanders always seemed to be few and in between around the time they went, which was part of the reason why they had begun their routine.

"I think you already know my answer," he replied without missing a beat.

She couldn't hide the grin that followed as they headed out of the apartment complex without another word. As much as she resented not being able to sleep in, this was her favorite time of the day. The sun was just beginning to peek over one of the monuments as they reached the parkway. Few pedestrians were out at that time of the day, making it a bit more tolerable as they jogged side-by-side.

Though she didn't have the Super Soldier Serum like Steve did, Ada was more than capable of being able to keep up with him. She had long-since suspected that that was due to a combination of her abilities and her training with SHIELD.

It wasn't until about their third lap when Ada noticed that someone was trying to keep up with them. She almost smirked when she heard Steve say 'On your left' on more than one occasion. Hearing his groan of frustration on the fifth lap was enough for her to nearly laugh. Still, she had to give the man credit for not giving up. He continued jogging until he'd reached his second lap, when he finally stopped and let out a heavy breath.

"Need a medic?" Steve asked when they finally reached the tree where the newcomer was sitting.

"I know a few doctors who might be of some use for those lungs of yours," Ada quipped when she noticed how out of breath he was.

The man threw her an incredulous look while Steve rose an eyebrow at her comment.

"I need a new set of lungs," he retorted with a roll of his eyes. "Dude, the two of you just ran thirteen miles in thirty minutes."

"Guess we had a late start," Steve remarked after giving Ada a shrewd look.

"Oh, really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap."

By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh at the man's comebacks. She had to admit, she liked his sense of humor. She could still remember running a good ten laps around the SHIELD facility when she first began her training. That had always been a warmup routine for every new recruit. Getting their leg muscles prepared and ready for a hard day of work was always important, and Ada had quickly learned to appreciate the training after she got used to it.

"Something tells me that he's already taken it while you were talking," she put in cheekily.

"Well, I assumed he just took it," he rolled his eyes while Steve crossed his arms and watched the pair in amusement.

"What unit are you with?" Steve, who happened to guess that the man in question had been working for the military at some point or another, asked.

 _He looks like someone who would have served_ , Ada thought as she looked him up and down curiously. She knew now not to judge someone by their covers. But her father had always worked closely with people from the military when he used to make weapons, and she had seen enough officers to know what the majority of them looked like.

"Fifty-eighth, Para-rescue. But now I'm working down at the VA," he replied with a shrug, "Sam Wilson."

"Steve Rogers," Steve returned the gesture with a greeting of his own.

"Ada Stark," Ada quickly introduced herself with a small smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Sam."

"Pleasure's all mine," Sam gave her a nod after recognizing who she really was. She had gotten used to people figuring out who she was even with some kind of disguise. She usually had to get more elaborate when it came to going out in the public, especially when she was with Steve. "I kinda put those two together when I saw you together. Must of freaked you out coming home after the whole defrosting thing."

Ada nearly rolled her eyes when Steve's cheeks flushed a faint shade of red at the mention of seeing _them_ together. Though she wasn't entirely surprised with the way he reacted. It was still hard to believe that they had been seeing each other for little more than a month.

"It takes some getting used to," Steve admitted with a shrug of his own. "But it helps having someone who knows their way around." He added the last part with a small smile at Ada, and in that moment, she felt her own cheeks flush slightly with embarrassment. "It's good to meet you, Sam."

She almost snorted at Steve's blunt way of cutting the conversation short. Sam had been watching them curiously for the last few seconds since they started talking. And while Sam had brought up an uncomfortable subject for Steve, that didn't mean he should have shut him down so abruptly.

"It's your bed, right?"

Before Steve could leave, Sam suddenly brought up something that had been eating at Ada since they moved to D.C. She glanced at him self-consciously when she noticed that he did finally pause in his stride and turned to face Sam, who seemed to understand more than Steve realized.

"What's that?" he asked hesitantly.

"Your bed, it's too soft," Sam replied with a firm nod. He looked between Steve and then back at Ada, who frowned as she began to realize the real reason behind Steve's lack of sleep over the last couple of weeks. When I was over there I sleep on the ground and used rock for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed, and It's like…"

"Lying on a marshmallow. I feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor," Steve finished for him when Sam couldn't bring himself to. "How long?"

"Two tours," Sam answered with a small smile. "You must miss the good ol' days, huh?"

It wasn't until Sam had mentioned missing the good old days that Ada found herself stiffening with worry. She hadn't even thought of how much Steve would miss from his own world. Then again, he rarely gave any indications how much he preferred his world from where he was now.

"Well, things aren't so bad," Steve mused thoughtfully when he glanced at her. "Food's a lot better, we used to boil everything." Ada grimaced at the thought of having to boil food just to make it edible. She remembered Tony trying to do that with the fresh hamburger meat Pepper had bought from the grocery store, and it took a while for them to convince him not to boil it. "No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading that a lot trying to catch up. And I've got one of the best teachers I could ask for helping me get caught up with everything I've lost."

As if to prove his point, Steve suddenly took hold of Ada's hand and gave it a light squeeze. By now, she was struggling not to grin as realization dawned on her. She still found it hard to believe that he'd learned so much since they began working together after the battle of Manhattan.

Sam looked at the pair thoughtfully when a suggestion came to his mind, "Marvin Gaye, 1972, "Trouble Man" soundtrack. Everything you've missed jammed into one album."

Steve offered a small smile when Ada immediately reached for the notebook that he always kept with him. Since she had been helping him get acclimated with modern technology and this new world, he'd kept a notebook with him of references to look up. She hadn't missed the fact that most of her suggestions were already crossed off, and newer ones had been added next to them with stars beside them.

"I'll put it on the list," he replied.

"We seriously need to do a Star Trek marathon one of these days," she remarked after noticing that that portion of the list hadn't been crossed off yet. "And I'm not just talking about the Reboot series."

She only smirked when Steve threw her an incredulous look at the mention of having a marathon, and even Sam looked a little skeptical at that. Steve was ready to say something when his phone suddenly went off with a message alert.

' _Mission alert. Extraction immanent. Meet at the curb :)_.'

Ada was hardly surprised to see that the message came directly from Natasha. She held back a sigh when she realized where this was headed. Thoughts of what the real mission suddenly came rushing back. Natasha had sent her images of SHIELD data that needed to be recovered and saved, but she suspected that Steve's job was going to be a little more challenging than that.

"Alright, Sam, duty calls," Steve finally announced after he put both his phone and his notebook away. "Thanks for the run. If that's what you wanna call running."

It took everything Ada had not to laugh at Sam's annoyed expression when they shook hands.

"Oh, so that's how it is?"

"Oh, that's how it is."

Even Steve was struggling not to grin as he turned around and started walking away. Sam just let out a huff of laughter when he realized what Steve was implying.

"Okay. Any time you wanna stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know," he suggested after looking between Steve and Ada, "Seeing as you've already got yourself a girl."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Steve gave a wave of his hand while Ada struggled to hold back a fit of laughter.

Eventually, they reached the curb where Natasha was waiting in a black sports car. Ada rose an eyebrow when she caught the look Sam was giving as he spotted the car. She was already bracing herself for the numerous traffic laws that would be broken with Natasha driving. Compared to Clint and Tony, she made them look like saints when it came to driving, and that was saying something.

"Hey, fellas," Natasha greeted them when she rolled down the window. "Any of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

Ada barked with laughter at Natasha's joke. Not for the first time, Natasha was quick to make some jibe at Steve's 'age'. Though he had been frozen in ice for seventy years, he still looked younger than any of the men that served in the army at his time. And people made jokes about that all of the time, especially when Steve made references about his time period.

"That's hilarious," Steve shook his head in amusement after shooting Ada a look.

"It's better than what my father likes to call you behind your back," she pointed out when she climbed into the backseat. "And believe me, he's called you plenty of things over the last few months."

"Wasn't he the one who made up the whole Capsicle joke?" Natasha quipped after looking at her mirror curiously.

"Pretty sure he was the one who started all of that."

By now, she was struggling not to grin when she caught the look Steve was giving both of them. He let out a sigh and shook his head, though even he looked more amused than annoyed. The good news was, he had gotten used to the constant 'grandpa' jokes Tony would often make around him. Considering how annoyed he had been with Steve when he found out that they were seeing each other, Ada was surprised that his reaction hadn't been worse.

 _They're good friends, even though both would deny it through and through_ , she nearly snorted in amusement at the thought. Tony was just too stubborn to admit that he did see Steve as a friend. Though it started off to a rocky start, at least now they tolerated one another.

"Hey," Natasha greeted Sam with a coy smile.

"How you doing?" Sam asked when he peered at Natasha curiously.

"You can't drive everywhere," Steve said after closing the door shut.

"No. No you can't," Sam shook his head with equal amusement.

With those parting words, Natasha drove off once everyone was settled.

…

Her brows furrowed together with concentration as she studied the screen in front of her. After changing into a SHIELD uniform – the same one that had been specifically designed specifically for her – she and the rest of the STRIKE team had met up at the quinjet to arrive at their destination. Ada wasn't surprised to see Steve watching Natasha closely as she informed him of what they were up against. Rumlow was the head of the STRIKE team; he and his men were already getting geared up for the mission at hand.

"The target is a mobile satellite launch platform: The Lemurian Star," Rumlow started once they were all gathered together. "It was sending up their last payload when pirates took them, ninety-three minutes ago."

"Any demands?" Steve asked after narrowing his eyes.

"A billion and a half," Rumlow replied.

Ada narrowed her eyes at that. When Natasha had warned her about the mission ahead of time, she suspected that the pirates had been hired as a ruse. Distracting SHIELD's operatives was all part of the plan before they could get their hands on the intel they needed. She glanced at Steve warily, knowing that he wouldn't like the idea that Fury had hired those pirates in the first place, and that he was nothing more than the pickup crew for said mess.

"Why so steep?" he asked after turning to look at Rumlow cautiously.

"Because it's SHIELD's," Rumlow answered for him.

He threw a look in the direction of Natasha and Ada, who were standing side-by-side at the moment. They exchanged wary looks, already aware of the reason behind said ransom. A lump formed in the back of Ada's throat as she caught Steve glaring in their direction.

"So, it's not off course, it's trespass," he deadpanned.

"I'm sure they have some kind of a reason for doing so," Ada tried reasoning, though she knew that it was a lame excuse.

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor," Steve sighed in exasperation.

 _I think we all are_ , Ada nearly rolled her eyes as she silently agreed with him. When she agreed to take part in whatever assignments he'd given Natasha, she didn't realize how difficult it would be to continue lying to Steve. He was beginning to feel suspicious, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he figured out what they were planning.

"Relax, it's not that complicated," Natasha reassured him while shooting Ada a look that dared her to speak out.

"How many pirates?" Steve asked after rolling his eyes at Natasha's response.

"Twenty-five, top mercs, led by this guy. Georges Batroc," Rumlow replied. He revealed video footage of the man in charge of said pirates. Ada lifted a brow when she noticed that he was one of the goons that managed to slip away during a mission she was part of nearly two years ago. That had ended in disaster, with several people getting hurt in the process. She had since-than learned how to avoid letting people get caught in the crossfire. "Ex-TGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpol's 'red notice'. Before the French demobilized him, he had thirty-six kill missions. This guy's got a rep for maximum casualties."

"Are there any hostages?" Steve asked while he began preparing for the mission at hand.

"Mostly techs," Ada replied before Rumlow could speak again. Said agent threw her a dirty look as she tilted her head to one side, recognizing the name of one of the officers on the ship, "One Officer known as Jasper Sitwell."

"They're being held in the galley," Rumlow cut in while he continued glaring at her.

Ada simply crossed her arms over her chest and returned the gesture, knowing that she would never hear the end of it when this was over. Rumlow preferred being left in charge of missions like these. She'd worked with him on more than one occasion. He was the type of arrogant asshole who always seemed to have something to prove while he was in charge, and that often led to disastrous outcomes during the missions they were on.

"What's Sitwell doing on the ship?" Steve asked with a frown. Ada had been wondering the same thing. Sitwell wasn't the type of person who went out to visit ships like this one. In fact, he hated going out in the field if it could be avoided. "Alright, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, Stark, you'll kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you sweep aft, find the hostages, get them to life pods. get 'em out. Let's go."

"STRIKE, you heard the Captain. Gear up!" Rumlow barked at the men who were already rushing to get themselves ready for the mission at hand.

She watched while the STRIKE team grabbed whatever gear or weapons they would need for said mission. Ada glanced over at Steve self-consciously when she felt his gaze boring though her, as if he was asking whether or not she knew more than she was letting on. She kept her mouth shut, already aware that saying anything now would only make things that much worse.

"Secure channel seven," he finally said to Natasha after tearing his eyes away.

"Seven secure," Natasha replied once she typed in a few command codes. They'd already made plans to use the coms to keep in touch during the mission, though Ada doubted Natasha would answer hers once they reached the engine room. "You two doing anything fun Saturday night?"

"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so…" Steve glanced in Ada's direction, and heat rose to her cheeks when she realized what he meant by that.

Natasha threw them a wry look that said it all. After watching them dance around each other for the last few months, she was expecting some kind of romantic outcome between them. And Ada found herself debating whether or not that was even an option. She doubted Steve would ever trust her again when he found out what she and Natasha were up to.

"Well, we could always visit the Smithsonian Institute since they opened that new wing," she suggested when an uneasy silence fell between them. "I've heard they have all the best Captain America memorabilia."

"Coming up the drop zone, Cap," Rumlow cut in.

Steve looked at her with renewed interest when he realized that the new wing had been recently finished. She'd heard rumors about it being under construction, so she was curious about what sort of information it had on Captain America. Besides, she suspected he wouldn't have minded being able to see some objects from his past.

"You know, if you ask Kristen out, from Statistics, she'll probably say yes," Natasha suddenly told him.

If Steve was surprised by the suggestiveness in Natasha's voice, he didn't show it. Ada shook her head in disbelief. Natasha wasn't above making everyone around her uncomfortable. She knew how to get under their skin, and she used whatever tactics she could to do so. She was prying into Steve's personal life, and she was doing her best to figure out what was going on between them. Ada swallowed hard when she realized that sooner or later, they would have to come clean about their growing relationship.

"I've already got a date," he finally replied after catching himself.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she caught his eyes reaching hers. And in that moment, she couldn't hide the sheepish smile when all eyes landed on them. Ada struggled to hide her initial surprise as Steve grabbed hold of his shield, giving a nod to one of the STRIKE team members standing near the hangar door. She nearly rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time when Steve suddenly jumped out of the moving quinjet.

"Was he wearing a parachute?" one of the STRIKE team members asked when she reached the hangar door.

"Of course not," she replied without missing a beat. One of the STRIKE team members – she was sure that he was new to the team, otherwise he would have known about her powers – moved to stop her when Rumlow pulled him back. "I'll be fine; I don't need a parachute either."

She sucked in a breath as she glanced at the STRIKE team warily. She had begun using her powers in ways that would help get her around the field more easily. Learning how to utilize them in such a way proved useful when she needed a quick escape, or when an enemy needed to be taken down faster than expected. The good news was, tonight was no different. Once she got her bearings and judged the distance between the quinjet and the ship, she jumped.

No one dared make a move when she used her powers over the air to maneuver towards the ship. Steve was already on the main deck striking down a couple of pirates when she landed gracefully. The Super Soldier barely had time to pause when one of the pirates tried taking advantage of his sudden distraction. Ada narrowed her eyes and threw a ball of fire in their direction, knocking them overboard in the process.

"Thanks," he nodded his thanks when he realized they would have ambushed him.

"Well, you seemed pretty helpless back there," she remarked with a sheepish smirk.

"What about that nurse that lives down the hall from you?" Natasha asked when she landed next to them. She quickly unstrapped her parachute, smirking when Steve threw her a glare. "She seems kind of nice."

"Kind of is an understatement," Ada scoffed under her breath.

The nurse Natasha was referring to happened to also be Sharon Carter, another agent who was tasked with keeping an eye on them. The only reason Ada knew about her was because they'd run into each other one morning. Sharon had been friendly enough, but Ada didn't miss how awkward it was when she noticed how close she and Steve were.

"Secure the engine room," Steve snapped after letting out a sigh of exasperation. "Then we'll start talking."

"I'm multitasking," Natasha reassured him as she glanced at Ada and gave her a nod.

…

"Since when did you get interested in someone's love life?" Ada asked as she ran alongside Natasha.

They'd reached the engine room within minutes after taking down several pirates along the way. Most of them were pushovers compared to some of the enemies that Ada had faced before. She had been trained to deal with just about anything the world threw at her, and she was suddenly grateful for said training. Though, Natasha made it look easy when she glided down the halls and fired her gun at any pirate that stood in the way.

"Since I've noticed you and Cap dancing around each other like you're walking on thin ice," the redhead replied while working on securing the data they'd found. Ada held back a sigh of frustration as she pulled out the flash drive that Fury had given Natasha. She knew how to hack into any database, and she knew that they needed to secure whatever intel they could find before Steve showed up. "By the way, what are you planning on doing about that?"

"We've already talked about it a few days ago," she admitted once she began storing the data in question. "I think we've reached an agreement that taking it slowly is the best option… with dad being overprotective, and with our jobs, it's kind of a risk to even consider taking things the next step."

Natasha pursed her lips as she began to realize the situation Ada suddenly found herself in. She had been aware of how uneasy Ada was with having to lie to Steve about _their_ jobs. Ada had made it loud and clear how much she detested the idea. But she also understood how important it was to gather whatever intel they could. If what Director Fury had said was true about SHIELD, then the sooner they got this taken care of, the better off everyone would be.

"You and Steve are in some serious need of relationship talks when this is over," she remarked.

Ada let out a bitter laugh of agreement at that. She highly doubted there would even be a relationship between them when this was over. The only thing she could do was hope for the best and move forward when that time came.

"Natasha, Ada, Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages." She flinched when Steve's voice sounded through the com. She glanced at Natasha anxiously, but the master assassin only shook her head and mouthed 'don't respond'. "Natasha!"

It took everything she had not to respond when she heard the urgency in Steve's voice. Her fists clenched as she continued watching the screen warily. It wasn't until she felt Natasha's gaze bore through her that her shoulders sagged.

"I can't keep doing this," she muttered under her breath.

Before Natasha could respond, glass suddenly shattered around them. Ada flinched when a piece of shrapnel grazed her arm, leaving a nasty looking cut in the process. Seconds later, Steve and Batroc came crashing through the window.

"Well, this is awkward," Natasha quipped while she managed to maintain her composure.

"What are you two doing?" Steve demanded after recovering from his initial surprise.

"Backing up the hard drive," Natasha replied without missing a beat. Ada kept her mouth shut as Steve glared at both of them. "It's a good habit to get into."

"Rumlow needed your help. What the hell are you doing here?" he deadpanned when he reached the main console. Ada couldn't bring herself to look at him when he noticed what they had been up to. "You're saving SHIELD intel."

"Whatever we can get our hands on," Ada finally spoke up.

"Our mission was to rescue the hostages," Steve reminded them with an icy look.

"No," Natasha corrected him. She finally pulled out the flash drive once it was finished downloading the data, then she turned and looked at Steve with a charming smile, "That's _your_ mission." She paused for a moment, glancing at Ada when she looked down at the console guiltily. "And you've done it beautifully."

She was about to leave when Steve suddenly grabbed her arm, "You just jeopardized this entire operation."

"I think that's overstating things."

 _More like we're overstating things_ , Ada winced at the thought surging through her. Steve opened his mouth, ready to spit something in response when Batroc suddenly threw a grenade in their direction. Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat when Steve suddenly deflected the grenade with his shield, but not without it exploding from the impact. He used his shield to cover them both from the intense heat that followed, glaring at them both in the process.

"Okay. That one's on me," Natasha groaned when they were thrown out of the engine room in the process.

"You're damn right," Steve muttered crossly.


	72. Chapter Seventy Two

**Chapter Seventy Two**

The trip back to Washington was eerily quiet. Ada kept glancing at Steve self-consciously as she wondered what was going on through his mind. She knew that he would have found out the truth sooner or later. She had been hoping to figure out some way of telling him without SHIELD or Director Fury knowing. But Ada had quickly learned how badly that would end. Steve wasn't the kind of person who held a grudge, but he did know when to move forward.

A lump formed in the back of her throat at the thought. She couldn't bring herself to admit how horrible she felt as they reached the elevator, neither saying a word. The STRIKE team was already on their way to Alexander Pierce, who was at the top of SHIELD. Natasha had slipped off already, most likely to send in the reports she'd found through the flash drive to Fury. So that left Ada having to figure out how she would explain what led her to teaming up with Natasha in the first place.

"How long has this been going on?" Steve finally cut through the awkward silence that filled the elevator.

She flinched and looked down at the floor as she tried thinking of a proper explanation. One that wasn't going to make her look like an ass. Steve had already trusted her before. She doubted he would again when he found out the truth.

"I can't exactly disclose that information until we talk to the boss," she explained without making eye contact. Steve just threw her a look of disbelief as she let out a heavy sigh. "Look, there's only so much information I can give… I hate lying, especially when I know that you deserve the truth."

For once, Steve didn't know what to say when he realized what she was implying.

"So… everything you said before was a lie?" Steve guessed.

Her heart sank at the accusation in his tone. For all he knew, she was lying to him right now. And it stung to realize how right and true he was. She refused to make eye contact once again as the elevator reached its destination at a painfully slow pace. It made their destination all the more complicated and awkward. She knew that sooner or later, he would have found out the truth regardless of what happened on the ship.

"Maybe," she finally deadpanned.

It was Steve's turn to flinch at the tone of her voice. He didn't have the chance to respond when the doors finally slid open as the elevator reached Fury's floor. Ada glanced at him warily as she took the first step, knowing that she was already in for an earful once they reached his office. Fury trusted her enough to help Natasha with her assignments. He didn't trust her enough to explain the full reason behind gathering said intel, though Ada suspected she already knew his reasons behind doing so.

 _Pierce built himself an empire that's going to come crashing down on him_ , she thought with a shake of her head. When she first met Alexander Pierce, he hadn't seemed that bad. But the more she began to work for SHIELD, the more she got to know what he was like. Deep down, she couldn't shake off the feeling that Fury was right to gather whatever intel he could on SHIELD. Saving the data was the first step. Then they'd find whatever evidence they could to bring down the threat.

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" Steve demanded when he stormed into Fury's office.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip when Fury threw her a scathing look. If he expected her to keep a leash on Steve, he was dead wrong. The Super Soldier was capable of doing whatever he thought was right, and Ada didn't plan on stopping him anytime soon.

Besides, she did silently agree with Steve that Fury shouldn't have kept this from him. It meant the Director didn't fully trust Steve with whatever secrets he was keeping. And Steve had more of a reason not to trust SHIELD.

"I didn't lie," Fury deadpanned. "Agent Romanoff and Agent Stark had a different mission than yours."

"Which neither of you didn't feel obliged to share," Steve snapped.

Ada couldn't help but flinch when Steve looked at either of them as he spoke, the accusation in his tone leaving her to wish she'd told him sooner. It would have saved them from this conversation, and the fact that they were confronting Fury about what happened.

"I'm not obliged to do anything," Fury retorted.

He kept glancing between Ada and Steve, as if he expected Ada to say something that would make things worse. She managed to hold her tongue, though she really did want to say something. She hated knowing that they had been lying to him just to gather intel. Steve was right about one thing – they needed to work together based on trust rather than lies.

"Those hostages could've died, Nick."

Ada didn't miss the exasperation in his voice, or how deadly serious he'd gotten. His shoulders were tense with annoyance as he looked Fury in the eye. She swallowed hard at the thought of what might have happened had he not been there at all.

"I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen."

Steve crossed his arms when Fury leaned forward and looked at him expectantly. Ada knew this wasn't going to end well if Steve had his way. He was already annoyed enough with the way Fury had been avoiding a proper answer to his demands. And the fact that Fury continued lying through his teeth.

"Soldiers trust each other, that's what makes it an army," Steve snapped after glancing at Ada pointedly. She flinched once again under his piercing gaze. She knew he was referring to what she said earlier. "I'm not going to trust anyone who runs around and shoots their guns."

"The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye," Fury pointed out. Ada glanced at him warily when he said that. She'd only heard bits and pieces of how Fury had lost his eye from Coulson and through Clint. But she'd quickly learned that most of them were just rumors. Stories meant to remind agents of why Fury was the Director in the first place. "Look, I didn't want you doing anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanoff and Agent Stark are comfortable with everything."

"Not necessarily," Ada finally spoke up. Fury threw her a withering look when she crossed her arms and glared back defiantly. "Sir, you asked me to work alongside Romanoff with the intentions of lying behind his back, and while I agreed to do so, this mission has made me realize that lying isn't always the answer." She paused to let that information sink in. It took everything she had to ignore the look of surprise Steve was now giving her, "I understand that everyone has their secrets, and rightfully so. But retaining information from those who have earned their place in the world is never a good idea."

She glanced at Steve pointedly. When she finally caught Fury's piercing gaze, she knew that he wasn't going to let her get away with mouthing off at him. But she couldn't stand the tension between them anymore. Steve did have a right to know what was going on, and whether or not it was right to carry on with these missions. Fury narrowed his eye at her, and it looked as if he was going to reprimand her when he seemed to think better of it.

"I'd watch your tongue, Stark," Fury reminded her with an icy look.

Ada just rolled her eyes knowingly at his last comment, though fortunately, he knew better than to say anything in front of Steve. The Super Soldier just looked at her in disbelief when he realized that she stood up for herself in front of her own boss. Though, Ada had a feeling she was going to suffer the consequences later.

"She's right," he spoke up. "I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their owns."

Fury's jaw clenched as his eye locked with Steve's eyes.

"It's called compartmentalization," the director snapped. It was clear that their argument was getting to him. Ada chewed the bottom of her lip doubtfully when she realized how dangerous that could be. She'd been on the receiving end of his wrath before, and she wasn't in any hurry to experience that again. "Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all."

"Except you," Steve responded coldly.

Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise when Fury stood up and looked between the two of them. He knew it was only a matter of time before they both started defending each other. He could see it written across their faces.

"You're wrong about me," he retorted. "I do share. I'm nice like that."

That was enough for Ada to scoff, "I'll believe that load of bullshit when I see it."

She almost smirked when Fury rolled his eye at her comment. She could already imagine the amount of headaches she and Steve were giving him at that moment. Considering he'd asked her to start working with Natasha while she went on missions with Steve, she wasn't in any hurry to betray the Super Soldier's trust. She should have argued more against his orders in the first place. It would have saved them all from the grief they were in right now.

They walked over to the elevator in silence as Fury led the way. Unease swept through Ada as she wondered where the director was getting at with his plan. She knew he had to convince Steve that what he was doing was a good thing. But in order to do that, it meant having to reveal something that not even she and Steve had clearance for.

"Insight Bay," Fury ordered once they were inside the elevator.

"Captain Rogers and Agent Stark do not have clearance for Project Insight," a computerized voice pointed out.

Embarrassment swept through Ada when Steve shot her a look of surprise. She had a feeling he was expecting her to have the same level clearance as Natasha and Clint. But the truth was, she was only halfway through her training. Because of her abilities and her age, SHIELD had a strict hold on what she could and she couldn't do throughout the agency.

"Director override, Fury, Nicholas J."

Both Ada and Steve stood quietly on the other side while Fury leaned forward for the scanner to register that he was who he claimed. Ada glanced at Steve self-consciously when she noticed that he looked directly ahead. She chewed the bottom of her lip once again as she suddenly wondered if he was still annoyed with her.

"Confirmed."

The elevator doors closed seconds later, and it began moving down to where Project Insight was.

She'd heard rumors about Project Insight through Rumlow and a couple other STRIKE team agents. While most of them had been able to keep their mouths shut about it, some of them bragged about how far along the project was.

Awkward silence filled the elevator as they slowly descended. Ada couldn't help but look around warily as she found herself wishing that she was anywhere but there at that moment. Fury seemed to be hoping that this would somehow convince Steve that he was doing the right thing. But she doubted that would be enough. His actions had left a clear sign that he had his own agenda to worry about, even if it meant getting other people hurt in the process.

"You know, they used to play music in these things," Steve remarked dryly.

"Yeah. My grandfather operated one of these things for forty years," Fury explained while leaning into the wall nearby. "My granddad worked in a nice building, he got good tips. He'd walk home every night, roll of ones stuffed in his lunch bag." Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise as she realized this was the first time Fury had ever talked about his family. "He'd say 'hi', people would say hi back. Time went on, neighborhood got rougher. He'd say 'Hi', they'd say, 'Keep on steppin'.' Granddad got to grippin' that lunch bag a little tighter."

"Did he ever get mugged?" she couldn't help but ask after mulling over the possibilities.

 _I can't imagine what that must be like, to see your neighborhood change so dramatically_ , she thought.

"Every week some punk would say, 'What's in the bag?'" Fury added the last part with a light chuckle and a shake of his head, as if he thought the idea of someone asking what was in the bag was amusing.

"Well, what did he do?" Steve asked.

"He'd show 'em." Again, Fury offered a subtle smile at the memory. "A bunch of crumpled ones and loaded 0.22 Magnum." Ada frowned when Fury looked at her pointedly. People had tried mugging her when she was younger because of who she was and because she was smaller. She was suddenly grateful that she'd always known how to defend herself at the time. "Granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much."

"Sounds like your grandad knew what he was doing," Ada remarked thoughtfully.

For once, Fury threw her a knowing smirk. Awkward silence resumed as the elevator kept going down. By the time it did, Ada was beginning to wonder what exactly Fury was planning to show them. Since she'd only heard rumors about Project Insight, she had little to no idea what to expect from this revelation. But as the windows began revealing more of what SHIELD had been working on, Ada's jaw nearly dropped open.

Hellicarriers. Three huge Hellicarriers were parked in an even larger hangar. Agents were running to and from their station while engineers went to work repairing whatever needed to be fixed or updated. The scene below them was almost imposing, and Ada suddenly found herself feeling uncomfortable as she realized that _this_ was Project Insight.

"Yeah, I know. They're a little bit bigger than a 0.22," Fury told them while keeping an eye on their reactions. Steve just looked at the scene before him thoughtfully as the elevator finally reached its destination. Once they stepped out, Ada felt even smaller than she had before as the three Hellicarriers surrounded her. "This is Project Insight. Three next generation Hellicarriers synced to a network of targeting satellites."

"Launched from the Lemurian Star," Steve said when he began piecing two and two together.

Ada couldn't help but chew the bottom of her lip as realization dawned on her. The Lemurian Star was also the ship they'd recently rescued and taken data from. She knew that Fury had sent them to that ship for a reason. Whether it was his lack of trust in Project Insight, or his lack of trust in the agency, she wasn't sure. One thing she did know was that he knew more than he was letting on. That made their missions much more dangerous.

"Once we get them in the air they never need to come down. Continuous suborbital flight courtesy of our new repulser engines," Fury explained as they walked past the Hellicarriers.

"Stark?" Steve asked in surprise.

"I'm surprised you managed to convince my father of all people to work on any SHIELD related projects," Ada snorted in amusement at the thought of Tony working for SHIELD.

He would have thrown a fit if he was forced into working for the agency. Tony had never trusted SHIELD, and Ada couldn't necessarily blame him. But it was a job for her, and one that she admittedly loved doing. She tried to focus on helping people rather than what was going on within the agency itself, but she knew that would eventually catch up on her.

"Well, he had a few suggestions once he got an up close look at our old turbines," Fury pointed out. Ada crossed her arms when he threw her a look when she made her comment on Tony. "These new long range precision guns can eliminate a thousand hostiles a minute. The satellites can read a terrorist's DNA before he steps outside his spider hole. We gonna neutralize a lot of threats before they even happen."

Ada frowned at that.

"No offense sir, but shouldn't we get permission from the government before we launch anything in the sky?" she deadpanned.

She wasn't overly fond with the idea of launching any weapon that SHIELD had complete control over. Especially if whatever the range precision guns scanned were wrong. Innocent people could suffer the consequences of their mistake, and Ada had a feeling that would end in disaster for everyone involved.

"I thought the punishment usually came after the crime?" Steve nodded in agreement to Ada's statement.

"One, we don't need permission to launch these Hellicarriers into the sky," Fury reminded her after scowling at the fact that they were agreeing with each other. "And two, after New York, I convinced the World Security Council we needed a quantum surgeon threat analysis. For once we're way ahead of the curve."

"By holding a gun at everyone on Earth and calling it protection," Steve sighed in frustration as he realized where this was getting at.

"What if whatever that algorithm is makes a wrong move?" Ada put in knowingly. She cringed at the thought of what would happen if the scanners started randomly attacking innocent people. "How many people have to get hurt before you realize how much of a mistake launching these things is?"

"You know, I read those SSR files," Fury retorted after looking at both of them coldly. "Greatest generation? You guys did some nasty stuff."

"Yeah, we compromised," Steve replied without missing a beat, "Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well. But we did it so that people could be free. This isn't freedom, this is _fear_."

"SHIELD takes the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be," Fury snapped impatiently. A lump formed in the back of Ada's throat as she noticed how frustrated he was getting with Steve's lack of enthusiasm towards the Hellicarriers. "It's getting damn-near past time for you to get with that program."

Ada held back a sigh of frustration at that. The look written across Steve's face told her that he wasn't in a listening mood. And Fury's last comment was enough to tip the iceberg. She doubted he was going to follow through with Fury's advice now.

"Don't hold your breath," he muttered.

With that, he turned and brusquely left them without another word. Ada glanced over her shoulder to look in his direction, suddenly wishing that she had followed him when she could. Because the moment her eyes met Fury's was when she noticed how concerned he looked for the first time.

"Sir, I know it isn't in my place to say this, but what this program is going to do is a load of bullshit," she pointed out. "And something tells me that you know that."

She didn't give him the chance to argue. Before Fury could open his mouth and make a retort, she quickly turned on her heel and trailed after Steve. She hoped that would at least give Fury the incentive he needed to look into the algorithm SHIELD wanted to use on the Hellicarriers.

 _If what he said about them is true, I have a really bad feeling about this whole launch idea_ , she thought.

"You're not staying with him?" Steve asked in surprise when she finally caught up with him.

"Why would I?" she retorted with a wrinkle of her nose. It wasn't until catching his eye that she rolled hers in annoyance. "Just because he is my boss doesn't mean I agree with everything he says or does. Something about this whole Project Insight makes me feel uneasy."

Steve looked at her thoughtfully. Even though she was loyal to SHIELD, that didn't mean she wouldn't follow her instincts. Following Fury's orders had left her feeling uneasy in the first place when she realized it meant lying to Steve as they worked together.

"Sorry… I'm not sure who I should trust at this point," he admitted. Ada couldn't help but flinch at that. After what happened on the Lemurian Star, and today's events, she couldn't necessarily blame him for not wanting to trust her. "When did you and Nat start working on your own missions?"

She chewed the bottom of her lip and looked down at the ground anxiously as they left the Treskellion.

"About a couple of weeks before we moved to Washington," she explained with a small shrug. "I never agreed with what he was doing, or approved of it. But it isn't as if I was given much of a choice."

Though, that wasn't exactly the truth. She could have easily turned down Fury's order, but it would mean risking her place in the agency. Coulson might still be alive, but Ada doubted he would be able to stand up for her if she chose to fight back against Fury's orders. And there was only so much say Clint or Natasha had in the matter themselves.

"Why do I get the feeling that I find that hard to believe?" he deadpanned.

Ada couldn't help but flinch at the accusation in his voice. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't blame him for doubting the fact that she had been lying to him. It stung to know that she could have easily avoided this mess in the first place.

* * *

 **AN: Well, I was late yet again for updating, but I did finally update on my intended schedule. I am sorry about that; life got in the way. But I do want to thank everyone for reviewing. I really do appreciate the time you take to read this story and leave a review as well :) Hopefully the next update won't take nearly as long since I've finally got my act together.**


	73. Chapter Seventy Three

**Chapter Seventy Three**

"When Fury assigned me to this mission, I knew that nothing good would come out of it," Ada sighed as she picked apart at the salad sitting in front of her. Natasha sat across from her with a dish of her own, not looking the least bit surprised with her complaint. "I don't know why I ever agreed to it."

"Because it was the right thing to do," the redhead reminded her with a pointed look. Ada just scowled when she noticed that Natasha had read her like an open book. They had agreed to meet for lunch after the disaster in Director Fury's office, and now Ada was beginning to regret her decision. "No one ever said it would be easy, regardless of whether or not it is the right thing to do."

Ada swallowed hard when she pictured Steve's reaction to finding out that she had been tasked to working with Natasha. She hadn't felt the courage to approach him since then. She knew that a confrontation was long overdue, but she had no idea how to go about it. The truth was, she had been hoping that Natasha would offer some advice.

Since they returned from the Treskellion, she'd asked Sharon Carter if she could stay with the other woman until the mess revolving around her and Steve was resolved. The woman had been genuinely surprised when she explained the situation, but she reluctantly agreed to let her share the apartment since she was living across from them. Because she was assigned to keeping an eye on both of them, it made her job slightly easier.

 _Maybe I should've called Pepper for some advice on how to handle the situation_ , she thought.

The problem with calling Pepper was that she would inevitably tell Tony that something was up. And Ada wasn't in any hurry to explain to Tony what was going on. He would more than likely overreact over the fact that Steve had pushed her away. Tony had always been overprotective of her. And while she appreciated that aspect of their relationship, there were times when she wished he knew when to back down.

The Super Soldier had every right not to trust her after what had happened.

There were times when she wished she would have told him sooner. But she knew that would have ended in disaster, especially as their missions escalated. Steve would have constantly found other reasons to worry, and she had a feeling that he wouldn't have taken them as seriously if he knew what they were really up against.

"You make the whole 'living a double life' thing look too easy," she muttered crossly. "I'm not even sure where to begin with explaining why I accepted Fury's deal."

Natasha pursed her lips together as she thought of how to reassure Ada without making things worse. It was never easy having to live double lives. Ada was only just beginning to figure that out, and she suddenly wished that she could turn back the clock to where she'd agreed with Fury's deal.

"If he really does care about you, which I believe he does, he'll get over it eventually," the redhead reassured her after getting up to stretch. Ada looked at her doubtfully. She wasn't sure if it was that easy. Steve made it perfectly clear just how angry he was when he found out she and Natasha were on their own missions. "Just give him time. Once he figures out that you were only doing what you believed was right, he'll understand."

 _If only it was that easy_ , she thought bitterly.

Once Natasha left, her mind drifted back to the way Steve had reacted to Fury's revelation. It hadn't been easy keeping her mouth shut the whole time. And there had been a time when she would have done anything to undermine Fury's authority. But after everything that happened, she knew now wasn't the time to do that.

She was about to follow the direction Natasha went when she felt her phone vibrate. Ada rose an eyebrow as she pulled out, frowning when she saw who the sender of the text message was. They hadn't said a word to one another since the other day. Steve had been right not to trust her when she first agreed to work alongside Natasha and the rest of the STRIKE team. But it still hurt knowing that all the trust they had been working on was shattered the moment Fury explained everything.

' _Can we talk? Meet me at the Smithsonian, new Captain America Exhibit. It'll be easier without anyone watching us, — Steve_.'

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip and stared at the message for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond to that. Part of her knew where the conversation would lead, and she was terrified of facing it. But another part of her knew that ignoring the problem at hand wouldn't get her anywhere.

She let out a sigh, stuffing her phone back into her pocket as she headed for the door. Regardless of whether or not she wanted to face him again, she needed to get out before she went stir-crazy from hiding in the apartment. She just hoped that Steve was in a listening mood when she arrived, otherwise she wasn't sure what the future had in store for either of them.

…

"You wanted to talk."

Ada greeted Steve with as much curtness as he had when he left the other day. His blue eyes never left her as she reached the meeting point outside the exhibit he wanted to explore, and he couldn't help but flinch. She had only been doing her job at the time of their mission. And she hated having to lie to him all the time, especially when she knew he'd done nothing to deserve it. The worst part was, they had been avoiding each other since yesterday. Sharon had been kind enough to let her stay at her place until whatever was going on between them was sorted out, but Ada suspected things would only get worse from there.

"I uh, I'm honestly not even sure where to begin from here," he admitted with a sheepish look.

He finally tore his eyes away and looked back at the entrance of the exhibit, not missing how many people had already wandered in. Ada rose an eyebrow when she finally noticed he was wearing a baseball cap in order to disguise himself.

"Well, you wouldn't be the only one feeling that way," she rolled her eyes knowingly. She let out another sigh as she gestured for them to go inside before things could get anymore awkward than they were. "I know what I did was wrong, and I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to trust me again after that fiasco."

"A symbol to the nation. A hero to the world. The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery and sacrifice." Ada listened to the narrator as she and Steve walked over to a cut-out image of himself dressed in his old Captain America uniform. She hadn't missed the guilt sweeping across his eyes when she said that, but he didn't get the chance to say anything when they walked further in. "Denied enlistment due to poor health, Steven Rogers was chosen for a program unique in the annals of American warfare. One that would transform him into the world's first super soldier."

"If it felt so wrong of you to go behind my back and lie to me, then why go through with it?" Steve finally cut through the icy tension between them.

A shiver of unease swept through Ada as she studied a few memorials lining the wall. Like him, she didn't even know where to begin. Her mind began churning with anxiety as she thought of what Fury had told her before any of this mess started. He had been right about many things, but that left her wondering who she could or couldn't trust.

"Because I wasn't really given a choice in the matter," she snapped through gritted teeth.

They'd already walked past a hologram of what appeared to be Steve before and after the Super Soldier Serum. The narrator explained once again what the cutouts were designed for. She watched curiously as they walked past numerous Howling Commando memorabilia, hoping to keep herself distracted from the actual conversation going on between them.

"In this rare footage, everyone's favorite warrior, Captain America…"

Ada suddenly felt self-conscious when he threw her a piercing look. They kept walking past the exhibit, and Ada held back a sigh of frustration as she thought of how to answer him. Soon they reached an exhibit that displayed his motorcycle that was used during some of the Howling Commando raids.

"It was that or get my ass fired from the agency, and I can't exactly think of a better job… I refuse to work for my father."

She added the last part with a snort of defiance, knowing full-well that the press would have had a field day if she agreed to carry on Tony's legacy. Hell, half of the world did expect her to follow in his footsteps. But she quickly learned that he and Pepper eventually wanted to have kids of their own. It wouldn't be fair to get in the way of kids related to them by blood, especially knowing that she was Tony's adopted daughter.

 _People compare me enough to my father as it is because he adopted me_ , she nearly rolled her eyes in annoyance. The press would have had a field day if she chose to work for his company, which was exactly why she wanted to avoid it at all costs.

"Battle tested," the narrator went on, "Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission, taking down Hydra, the Nazi rogue science division."

A shiver of unease swept through her at the mention of Hydra. She'd heard horror stories of Hydra throughout the agency. Those who knew about it refused to talk about it. But she knew that it was an unavoidable part of their past. And she dreaded the day when another agency like Hydra showed up again.

"Ada, you always have a choice, regardless of whether or not it's the right choice," Steve reminded her with a pointed look. He narrowed his eyes and suddenly reached out for her shoulder, giving it a gentle yet firm squeeze. "What aren't you telling me?"

Ada flinched when his voice grew softer this time. She was tempted to tell him everything right then and there. She really wanted to. But her thoughts drifted back to what Fury said about not trusting anyone. Natasha had said the same thing, but with more firmness. The redhead had experienced more shit in the world than most people her age should, and Ada suspected she was speaking from said experience.

"I can't explain it," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.

Steve's brows furrowed together when he realized what she was implying.

"You can't? Or you won't?" he pressed.

"Steve, not everything is in black and white," she snapped. She finally glared at him as she noticed how tense he was. "Look, the only reason I agreed with Fury's plan was because I knew he was right… there's been too many shady deals going on behind closed doors, just like at Stark Industries when Obadiah was in power. And I can't shake off the feeling that something bad is going to happen."

It took a few seconds for that to sink in. Steve's shoulders finally sagged as he realized what she was implying. She'd seen the records when Natasha saved the files onto a flash drive. She knew something was up the moment Fury asked her to work alongside Natasha of all people.

For a while, he didn't say anything as they headed towards the next exhibit. This one was dedicated entirely to the Howling Commandos, some of the bravest men Ada had ever seen. The Howling Commandos had worked alongside Steve to stop Hydra at all costs, regardless of whether or not their lives were on the line.

Ada frowned as she studied the memorial that was also dedicated to all of the lives that were lost during the war. One name in particular stood out to her. A cutout posture of a handsome looking young man standing beside Steve was placed on one side of the room. Then there was a singular cutout posture with the same young man, who seemed to stand out above all the others. Her frown deepened when she noticed Steve staring at the cutout longer than all the others.

"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers were inseparable, on the school yard and on the battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to have given his life in service to his country."

 _That explains the odd look_ , she thought after realizing who the man in question was.

She couldn't imagine what it was like to lose a friend like that. She'd watched countless people die in her dreams, and while working at the agency. But she had never been close enough to actually call them her friend. Sure, she was close to other agents like Jimmy, Natasha and Clint. But she could hardly consider them brother or sister like Steve regarded Bucky.

She suddenly reached over and took hold of his hand, giving it a light squeeze when she realized why he couldn't look away.

"Steve…"

Before she could finish, Steve walked away without another word. Ada nearly rolled her eyes at that. Though, she wasn't too surprised. He'd acted similarly when Coulson died, pretending everything was okay when in reality, it wasn't. It was at that point that she decided all men were the same. They hated admitting when they felt any amount of pain, regardless of how much it effected everyone else around them.

She let out a heavy sigh and followed him wordlessly. Once they reached a small movie theater, Ada knew that his attention was entirely drawn towards the exhibit. Especially as a pretty looking woman who looked entirely familiar appeared on the screen.

"That was… a difficult year." Peggy Carter. Ada rose an eyebrow as the woman who changed the world spoke to them, almost as if she was standing right in front of them. From the stories she'd gathered, Steve and Peggy had been very close before he crash-landed in Antarctica. She couldn't help but glance at him warily when she noticed he was staring at the screen longingly. "A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind the German line. Steve… Captain Rogers, he fought his way through a HYDRA blockade that had pinned our allies down for months. He saved over a thousand men, including the man who would… who would become my husband as it turned out. Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life."

"She's the one who founded SHIELD, along with Howard," Ada murmured thoughtfully. She'd never met Peggy in person. Sharon always talked about her mother fondly, though she never went into details over how Peggy and Howard Stark worked together in finding the agency. The real agency, anyways. "I heard she's still alive."

Steve's brows furrowed together in surprise when he realized what she meant by that. From what Sharon told her, Peggy was being kept at one of the hospitals in Washington D.C. She suddenly found herself wondering how much he'd been told about Peggy's involvement with SHIELD and where she was being kept now.

"Have you ever met her?" he asked curiously.

Anything was better than facing the tension they endured earlier. Even he had to admit that he was getting tired of it, especially when he knew it wasn't entirely her fault. So he tried to make some common ground between them.

"Not in person, but… Coulson always used to tell stories about her, and how the two of you worked together a lot," she explained with a shrug. "Like I said, he was a big fan of Captain America."

The Super Soldier almost smiled at a fond memory of himself with Peggy back in the past. He never did get that first dance with her all those years ago, and the guilt from earlier suddenly came rushing back. Ada's heart wrenched with pity as she realized how close they must have been at the time.

 _Imagine waking up in an entirely different time period, and losing everyone you care about_ , she thought.

She often found herself wondering if she would have met the same fate had her mother chosen to send her to a different time period. There were times when she questioned why her mother sent her to this world, and what made it any different from any others. She was tempted to ask her mother when she quickly pushed the thought aside.

It had been months since she last spoke with her mother. Nadia had been silent since she was brought back from Europe, and Ada wasn't in any hurry to face her again. Not after the way her mother tried killing everyone, including the team, at the compound.

"What you said about that feeling where everything could go wrong… how long has that been happening?" he suddenly asked.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip and glanced at him anxiously. She couldn't bring herself to tell him that it had been ever since she joined the agency. Tony used to drill it into the back of her head that SHIELD was nothing but bad news. And ever since Coulson came back to life and explained to her that she was partly responsible for his miraculous survival, she wasn't sure who to trust.

"I'm not sure whether or not it's safe to answer that question," she muttered as they left the main exhibit. "At least not until I have enough intel to know whether or not my gut feeling is right."

Steve looked at her thoughtfully as he understood what she meant by that. Or, at least he tried to understand. There was still too much going on for him to make sense of it all. He desperately wanted to know what was really bothering her, but something held him back. The look written across her face suggested so much more than just a 'gut feeling', and he had a feeling it would come back to haunt them all.

* * *

 **AN: I'm not overly satisfied with how this chapter turned out, and I'll probably end up running edits here and there. But I felt as if I had to post something since it's a few days before Christmas for those who celebrate it. Thanks to everyone who read the last chapter, and a big thanks to Seaglassheart for reviewing!**


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